Spine Health
Back Pain? Sometimes It’s Better Not Knowing Exactly Why
You want an answer, but there are hidden costs to finding out.
Lower back pain is widespread across human populations. It is a scourge. Back pain is also one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and enormously expensive to treat, taking up vast sums of healthcare dollars in a supermarket bonanza of treatment options from over-the-counter lotions, creams, and potions all the way to surgeries costing tens of thousands of dollars.
When a patient comes in complaining of lower back pain they want answers. They may be scared and anxious. My patients often search online for their symptoms and what that ache or stabbing in their back can mean, they read horror stories and anecdotes which heighten their dread. When they ask me what could be causing their pain they often want an MRI to confirm a diagnosis.
A good doctor who takes a detailed history, listens to you, performs a competent exam, and gives reasonable advice and a treatment plan that aligns with your goals and expectations…this approach has been well studied and there is much evidence to demonstrate it’s superiority over expensive MRI scans and cookie cutter treatments.
