If you’ve been dealing with back pain, you’re not alone.
About 80 per cent of people will experience an episode of back pain at some point in their life. Unfortunately, many misconceptions persist about back pain – some reinforced by the media, others by industry groups and well-meaning clinicians. As a result, these beliefs can spiral into unhelpful behaviours.
But while back pain can feel scary, it’s rarely a life-threatening medical condition, and needn’t control your life, says Dr. Caedan Chau, of Fit Chiropractic & Sport Therapy in Courtenay who shares 9 facts about back pain.
1. Aging isn’t a cause of back pain
Age doesn’t predispose you to pain. We often hear that getting older can worsen back pain, but the evidence does not support this.
“Most episodes of pain improve over time, and don’t worsen as we age,” Dr. Chau says. “In fact, the highest prevalence of back pain occurs between our 30s and 50s, and starts to decrease as we get into our golden years.”
2. Persistent back pain is rarely associated with serious tissue damage
Our backs are very strong and resilient, with tissue damage healing a lot faster than we think.
“Within three months, tissues are on the way to being healed,” Dr. Chau says. “A majority of back pain begins with everyday movements, so it may be more related to stress, fatigue, lack of exercise, previous experiences and fears. Our nervous system has a way of turning the volume of pain up or down based on these factors – making the back more sensitive to movement and loading.”
3. Scans rarely show the cause of back pain
Many scary-sounding things are reported on scans that aren’t necessarily associated with the pain being felt, such as disc bulges, degeneration, herniated discs and arthritis. Scans don’t mention that these findings are also commonly found in people without back pain.
“Unfortunately, when people are told these findings are the cause of their pain, they believe their back is damaged, and become fearful and avoidant of activities they love,” Dr. Chau says. “Instead, try thinking about these findings as ‘wrinkles in the back,’ common findings in the majority of spines (with or without pain) rather than debilitating, scary conditions.”
4. Pain with exercise and movement doesn’t mean you’re doing harm
With pain, the spine and surrounding muscles can become very sensitive to touch and movement. Pain during exercise is a reflection of this hypersensitivity, not damage of the tissues.
“Exercise is one of the best things you can do to help treat back pain!” Dr. Chau says. “It’s safe and normal to feel some pain when you start moving – it will often settle as you become more active. Exercise also relaxes the muscles, improves mood, and strengthens the immune system, keeping your body and mind strong and healthy.”
Patient-centred education, physical activity, manual therapy and improving mental health is more beneficial than extreme measures for back pain, in the long term.
5. Back pain is not caused by poor posture
It may be hard to believe, but there’s no specific posture shown to prevent back pain!
“Everyone’s body is different,” Dr. Chau says. “Some find slouching painful, while others find sitting upright uncomfortable. Current research shows that how we sit, stand and bend doesn’t cause back pain, even if these movements are painful. Varying postures throughout the day is healthy for the back, and highly recommended. It’s safe to perform everyday tasks with a round back and a straight back!”
6. Back pain is not caused by a ‘weak core’
Weak ‘core’ muscles are not associated with back pain.
“In fact, people often tense their ‘core’ to protect themselves from pain,” Dr. Chau says. “It sounds counterintuitive, but this can actually worsen back pain. Imagine moving with a clenched fist after spraining your wrist – how painful would that be!? It’s important to control ‘core’ muscles and use them when needed. Bracing and guarding when in pain isn’t always helpful. Learn to relax your back and ‘core’ during daily tasks.”
7. Backs don’t wear out with everyday loading and bending
Our backs are built to bend, twist and lift.
“Loading the back makes it stronger and more resilient,” Dr. Chau says. “Someone can strain their back lifting something heavy, but that doesn’t mean this movement should be avoided. Gradual and regular loading of the back can help build tolerance, and is completely safe. Many people begin to start running after spraining an ankle – loading the joints again, even after injury, makes them stronger and healthier.”
8. Pain flare-ups don’t mean you’re doing damage
Pain flare-ups are scary and frustrating. Often they come on with everyday movements, and not from injury.
“Similar to headaches, back pain triggers include stress, tension, poor sleep, dehydration and lack of exercise. Improving these factors can help prevent or lessen the intensity of flare-ups.”
9. Extreme measures aren’t usually a cure
Spine injections, surgery and opioids usually aren’t very effective for back pain in the long run, and negative side-effects often outweigh any pain-relief.
“A more conservative approach can be more effective, cheaper and safer than extreme measures,” Dr. Chau says. “Patient-centred education, physical activity, manual therapy and improving mental health is more beneficial in the long term.”
Reframing beliefs about back pain and creating a positive mindset can help decrease pain, build confidence and lessen fear.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
