Back pain article did more harm than good

I AM writing to you as a concerned physiotherapist who works in the health service with back pain patients.

I read with shock and horror the article (Life, March 27) regarding the causes of back pain. I’m sure the contributor is well-intentioned, but after a series of landmark research papers published in The Lancet medical journal this week, which adds to the tidal wave of research and critical thinking around the topic, this needs to be addressed.

Self-serving expert opinions, based on anecdote, cannot be allowed to harm the general public. This is something we call ‘selling sickness’ — convincing the sufferer that they are doing everything wrong and spiralling their woe.

Much work has been done in the last few years to eradicate sensationalised views such as these, where the causes for back pain are proposed and the ‘cures’ are in the hands of the few who have the skills to help.

The truth is that back pain is a complex condition, and in 95% of cases a cause cannot be found. Chronic pain is thought to be the result of negative beliefs, fear-avoidance behaviours and misconceived notions of instability and weakness in our spinal structures.

This article sets back anyone suffering from back pain, in direct opposition to a plethora of scientific research and reviews. It is also in opposition to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines and clinical knowledge summaries developed by government bodies to provide factual information and inform clinicians and public alike.

PADDY KIDD MCSP Physiotherapist By email