People wait to long to go to Doctor when suffering from back pain

Back pain is not confined to any particular age or lifestyle; it affects people in all walks of life and all levels of activity from office workers to sports players to couch potatoes and every variation in between.  The severity of its effects also ranges from minor discomfort to complete disablement, with the majority of sufferers somewhere in the middle range.

According to Sean Quinn, PT of the Sports and Physical Therapy Center in Eureka, Missouri, one of the reasons that many patients suffer as much as they do is because they wait until the pain becomes ‘unbearable’ before seeking treatment.  He says that back pain is so common, a lot of people start to accept it as normal, and continue with activities that exacerbate the condition to a point where major damage occurs.

Quinn believes that physical therapy should be the first line of defense against back pain, and that if such therapy is sought when symptoms first appear the chances of significantly reducing or eliminating the pain are much greater.  He cited studies published in leading medical journals such as Spine and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons that support his observations.

Physical therapists, said Quinn, are trained intensively in the areas of anatomy and physiology, and in many different treatment modalities.  They are able to employ a wide variety of techniques in treating the injuries and illnesses that cause pain and decreased mobility.  Quinn believes that his PT clinic and others like it can often treat and relieve back pain with individualized programs before it reaches the stage where major drug therapy and/or surgery are the only options remaining.