Five Deadly Sins Made When Dealing With Back Pain

Mistakes to Avoid

Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.

—Carl Jung

Mistake 1: Treat only the symptom.

Taking NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or other daily medications to control the pain is just masking the deeper cause of your symptoms. I have been treating patients long enough to know there is value in medications to control pain in acute situations or help you function in chronic situations. But believing a pill will cure your back pain is not realistic. Even small children know that when the fire alarm is going off, there is a fire—they don’t just put earplugs in their ears and ignore the alarm. The same concept applies to physical pain—pain is a symptom, a warning, that something is wrong that you need to address.

Mistake 2: Continue to do nothing.

Believing that there are no more treatment options or there is no one left to help you is The “I GIVE UP” Syndrome. Maybe you have tried treatments with minimal or no results, or did not follow through with treatment recommendations. Perhaps you were told that surgery is your only option left or that you will just have to deal with it the rest of your life. Even if no one has found the true cause of your problem, do you really think giving up is going to improve your situation?

Mistake 3: Hope it will go away on its own.

Well, many times it might improve, temporarily, but not taking action to determine why there is pain leads to reoccurring problems. Action is the key word.

Mistake 4: Do not follow doctors’ recommendations.

Back specialists treat spinal conditions every day, spent years studying disorders of the spine, and—unless you had an acute traumatic accident, such as a car wreck, that initiated your pain—know a gradual process occurs to develop back or neck problems. Specialists know it can take multiple treatments, education about your condition, and lifestyle changes, all of which take time. They know you can’t always just cut out the pain or permanently mask it with medication. Let me put it this way: As a general rule, it takes 90 days to change human physiology. This is why military or police training is usually around a 90-day boot camp. Back specialists know that, to change your body or lifestyle routine in a positive way, it takes about 90 days. So in order to change conditions in your spine, you’ll need a little patience—nothing wrong with that.

Mistake 5: Fail to take responsibility for where you are.

Many back pain suffers go to doctors looking for a quick fix. Most doctors are very smart and good at what they do, but they are not necessarily miracle workers. No one should care about your body more than you do. You must be part of the process in helping relieve your back pain. Own or take responsibility for improving your condition. It takes the right mindset to overcome your back pain, so don’t act like a victim.

“What is the difference between an owner and a victim?” you might ask. Keep reading….

Owners vs. Victims

• Owners take full responsibility for their outcomes, knowing they are the sole creators of their actions and reactions, successes and failures
• Victims, on the other hand, see themselves as having been dealt a bad hand, continually waiting on the next thing that will happen to them. They take no responsibility, placing blame for their circumstances or pain on life, other people, and bad luck.

• Owners take it upon themselves to seek professional guidance and to manage the pain, and say, “I want to be pain-free so I’m going to do my exercises, prescribed treatments from my doctor, and stop or limit things that make my condition worse,” or, “I want to be pain-free so I am going to make time and do my exercises. even if it is uncomfortable.”
• Victims, however might say, “I know I should do my exercises or follow the treatments my doctor told me to do, but it hurts too much. This is not fair. Why me? I will continue to do nothing to improve my situation.”

• Owners take action and responsibility to get better.
• Victims, as you probably can tell, prolong recovery because they are their own worst enemies.

• Owners ask, “What can I do?”
• Victims ask, “Who can I blame?”

As it relates to your back, the way a person responds to pain is a choice. You can own your pain, or act like a victim.

Call anytime between the hours of 8 am and 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday 8-12 on Fridays.  Tell the receptionist you’d like to come in for the Back Pain Evaluation valued at over  $225. Mention this blog and get receive our New Patient Special!

We can get started with your consultation, exam and x-rays as soon as there’s an opening in the schedule. Our office is called Advanced Chiropractic and you can find us at 4549 Catclaw Drive, Abilene TX.

I look forward to helping you get rid of your pain so you can start living a healthier, more joyful life.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jake Morgan, D.C.

Don’t forget to stop by the office and grab my book! Or download your copy from our website.