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Beating back pain

Exercise control over back pain this New Year.

Make exercise one of your New Year’s resolutions to reduce your risk of back pain - this is the message from the Doctor Patient Partnership and BackCare’s ‘Beating Back Pain’ campaign.

Exercise is the single most effective way of preventing the majority of back pain and yet new research out today (7 January 2003) shows a whopping 61% of respondents said they do not exercise to prevent back pain.

To add to this nearly a quarter (23%) of people said they would most likely go to bed or lie flat if they had back pain which is in fact the worst thing they could do. Given these research findings it is hardly surprising that over 60% of people said they have suffered from back pain.

Besides the discomfort and often severe pain for individuals experiencing back pain, the cost for employers is huge with 11 million working days lost a year, particularly post holiday times when people have been sedentary. The cost to the NHS, business and the economy is an estimated £5 billion per year.

This is why the Doctor Patient Partnership and BackCare are launching the ‘Beating Back Pain’ campaign this new year in a bid to encourage people to exercise some control over their bad backs.

Dr Simon Fradd, Nottingham GP and Chairman of the Doctor Patient Partnership said

"Many people don’t realise how much they can do for themselves to prevent and manage their back pain. 64% of people said they would be most likely to go and see their GP if they experienced back pain but preventative exercise which helps to strengthen their back or even normal activity which helps reduce the pain is the best prescription.

GPs also need support in helping their patients with back pain. The patient leaflet and on-line health professional ‘Beating Back Pain’ materials offer patients and GPs the support they need to begin to reduce the unnecessary pain caused by bad backs."

Andrew Goldberg FRCS, Specialist Registrar in Orthopaedics at The Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust, Hampstead, London welcomed the campaign saying

"People only pay attention to their backs when they are in pain and once this settles they stop looking after their backs, which is a big mistake.” He added, “we don’t get taught posture in schools and unfortunately, the bad habits we learn stick with us throughout our lives. In order to make a real difference, there needs to be a fundamental change in attitudes and education and this campaign is a great start."

As someone who has experienced back pain Alison Hudson, BackCare commented on the campaign

"I've lived with back pain for many years and it can be very debilitating, both emotionally and physically. Learning how to manage my pain means that I am able to lead a (relatively) normal life. Education and information were important to my recovery. However, appropriate and timely treatment were more important.

Doctors play a key role helping to inform and educate patients and to ensure that they receive an accurate, early diagnosis. A pro-active approach to back pain means that I can do things that were once only a dream. This important campaign is bringing back care awareness into the spotlight for both patients and doctors."

Commenting on the campaign launch Dr David Peters, former GP and practising London Osteopath said

"The ‘Beating Back Pain’ campaign is particularly welcome especially at this time of year when people are likely to be less active over the Christmas and New Year break.

Caring for your back can reduce your chances of experiencing pain enormously. Manipulative therapies such as Osteopathy can and do help a huge number of people every day to manage back pain."

Notes to Editors

• The research was conducted by NOP Omnibus between 29 November and 8 December 2002. The samples consisted of at least 966 respondents 18 + years of age.
• 63% of people say they have suffered from back pain.
• The impact score of musculoskeletal conditions on quality of life is nearly 80 compared to 40-50 for cardiovascular disease. (Sprangers MAG. Which chronic conditions are associated with better or poorer quality of life. J Clin Epidemiology 2000;53:895-7).
• 11 million working days are lost in the UK because of back pain. At least 5 million adults consult their GP annually for back pain, at a cost to primary care of over £140million.
• The majority of back pain is mechanical (also known as simple, musculoskeletal, postural or eventually degenerative back pain). Only about 1% of GP referrals to specialists are operated on.
• The United Nations, the World Health Organisations along with governments and professional patients organisations have declared the first decade of the millennium as the ‘Bone and Joint Decade’ with the aim of improving the health and quality of life of people with musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.