Back Pain Treatment: A Treatment Method That Works

Back pain prevalence in the UK

Back pain is a widespread health issue in the UK, affecting millions of individuals and significantly impacting people’s quality of life. According to recent statistics:

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for work-related absence, with over 31 million work days lost annually due to musculoskeletal problems, including back pain.

Lower back pain is the leading cause of disability in the UK, accounting for 11% of the total disability burden.

These figures really highlight the importance of effective back pain treatment and prevention measures in the UK healthcare system.

The high prevalence of back pain not only affects individual well-being but also has significant economic implications for the country.

The current healthcare system has however no effective system in place to deal with lower back pain and in general, other musculoskeletal clinical presentations, like for example, Frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, Tmj disorder or sciatica between others.

The lack of an effective system and treatment method means that people with these presentations find themselves at the merci with nowhere to go.

Why isn’t there an effective system in place to dealing with musculoskeletal presentations

Even though these conditions do really affect people’s life, they are not life threatening and therefore they don’t get priority in budgeting.
The healthcare system focuses on acute reactive care rather than prevention and long term management of quality of life.
The complexity and multifactorial nature of musculoskeletal conditions make it challenging. There’s a lack of interdisciplinary teams that can address the physical, psychological, and social aspects of musculoskeletal conditions comprehensively.
There isn’t a profession within the NHS that currently can provide effective treatment for musculoskeletal presentations.
The only professionals currently providing consistent and effective results in treating musculoskeletal presentations are private, have small reach (which means that most people don’t even know of their specialty in treating these presentations) and are outside of the scope of the NHS.

Effective treatment to dealing with Lower back pain

As we quickly mentioned above, musculoskeletal pain and musculoskeletal clinical presentations require a multidimensional approach to treatment, but why?

Psycho-Socioeconomic model vs linear model

The traditional linear model or the Newtonian model in which the Health System is still based on focuses solely on the physical aspects of a condition.

It assumes a direct cause-and-effect relationship between physical symptoms and their underlying causes, focusing the spotlight on gene and DNA.

However, today science proves that this approach is too simplistic when it comes to the human body and it falls short in addressing the complexity of musculoskeletal pain conditions (as well as most other medical conditions which is not topic for this blog post).

In contrast, the Psycho-Socioeconomic model suggests that the human is not a linear system but a quantum one, pain perception and musculoskeletal presentations (as well as medical conditions) are a result of a complex interconnection of psychological, social, and economic factors (as well as spiritual) in addition to physical aspects.

In this model DNA and genes take a back seat and the individual retakes control over their own health.

This model considers:

Psychological factors: Believe system, stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, and beliefs about pain.
Social factors: Social support, developmental environment, social environment, work environment, cultural beliefs about pain.
Economic factors: Financial stress, access to healthcare, work-related pressure, deprived environment.
Spiritual factors: Personal beliefs, sense of purpose, connection to something greater, cultivating presence and existential perspectives. This last point is probably the most missing in our society and it shouldn’t be overlooked.

To better understand the difference between the traditional Newtonian model of health and the new Quantum Physics model, let’s visualise it with a graph:

This new model provides a more comprehensive understanding of health, returning the power to the individual that is encouraged to take action and take control over their health. Each one of us is a result of not only our DNA and physical aspects but also unique psychological, social, economic and spiritual aspects.

Understanding this and approaching treatment of musculoskeletal pain or clinical presentations with this model in mind is crucial to deliver effective treatment solutions to people experiencing these presentations (most of us will experience musculoskeletal pain or clinical presentations sometime through our life).

So…

What profession and what treatment method is the most appropriate to dealing with lower back pain?

Based on the Quantum Physics model of health discussed earlier, myofascial release therapy emerges as one of the most effective treatment methods for dealing with musculoskeletal pain, including lower back pain and the Myotherapist or Myofascial release therapist should be the reference professional dealing with musculoskeletal pain and clinical presentations.

Here’s why:

Myofascial release addresses the fascia. The fascial or myofascial tissue is a spider web like connective tissue present everywhere in our body, going down to the cellular level. This tissue is thought to be a speedway of communication between brain and body.

This tissue is highly sensitive and highly reactive to changes in the environment; chemical changes, pressure changes, electrical changes.

The way this tissue operates is still being topic of research but we already know that it functions following quantum mechanics principles.

The fascia is deeply interconnected with the brain and the psychological aspects of our being, affecting and also being affected by these.

Addressing the myofascial tissue is therefore one of the most effective ways of addressing musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction while simultaneously affecting these other aspects of our being.

One could say that when you touch the fascia, you touch the person in all their being, you touch their mind and their soul.

Holistic Approach: Myofascial release therapy aligns with the multidimensional nature of the Quantum Physics model. It addresses not just the physical aspects of pain, but also considers all other components that may be contributing to the condition.

Intention Focus: The concept of intention focus in myofascial release therapy aligns well with principles from quantum physics, particularly the observer effect. In quantum physics, the act of observation can influence the behaviour of particles at the subatomic level. Similarly, in myofascial release, the therapist’s focused intention can have a significant impact on the treatment’s effectiveness, by tapping into quantum-level interactions within the body.

Personalised: Myotherapy is tailored to each individual’s unique needs, recognising that everyone’s pain experience is different due to varying psychological, social, economic, and spiritual factors mentioned above.

Addresses Complex Interconnections: Myofascial release therapy works on the principle that pain in one area can be caused by restrictions in another, these restrictions caused by an array of different possible factors acknowledging the complex interconnections within the body.

Integration of Physical and Mental Aspects: Myofascial release therapy incorporates mindfulness and body awareness, which can help address psychological factors like stress and anxiety that may be contributing to the pain.

Non-Invasive and Empowering: Myofascial release therapists educate and empower clients to take an active role in their healing process, aligning with the Quantum Physics model’s emphasis on returning power to the individual.

While myofascial release therapy is highly effective, it’s important to note that the most comprehensive approach to musculoskeletal pain does often involve a multidisciplinary team that can address all aspects of the Psycho-Socioeconomic model, including psychological counselling or social support among others.

Summary

In this blog post we’ve looked at the prevalence of back pain in the UK, the challenges in our current healthcare systems. We’ve learnt how the quantum physics model of health offers a more complete understanding of musculoskeletal pain and health in general compared to traditional approaches and finally we’ve covered why myofascial release therapy emerges as a leading treatment method for musculoskeletal pain and conditions.

About the author

Rocio Santiago

MA in Nursing, Dip. Soft Tissue Therapy

Ro initially began her career as a nurse. Following this Ro went on to train at one of the leading soft tissue therapy schools in Europe, completing a 3 year degree level course and specialising in effective soft tissue manipulation for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.

The treatment method Ro uses consists of a combined approach using different specialised techniques, myofascial release and trigger point work among others, with the intention and focus on providing effective results in the least possible amount of time.

Combining her training, science background and life experience, her treatment method is based in science and built using a whole body approach, where mind and body are addressed as one.

Ro has been seeing clients as a soft tissue therapist for 9 years, successfully treating a wide range of conditions.