Q: Back pain is usually caused by a serious medical condition.

As mentioned above, back pain is rarely caused by a serious condition that will require medical intervention.

Question 1

Back pain is usually caused by a serious medical condition.

Accepted Answer

As mentioned above, back pain is rarely caused by a serious condition that will require medical intervention.

Question 2

Scans are always needed to detect the cause of LBP.

Accepted Answer

Scans are only necessary in a small number of cases. In fact, scans will often pick-up things that are part of normal, age-related changes in the back that aren’t necessarily the cause of the pain.

Question 3

Pain during exercise means that exercise is bad and causes more damage.

Accepted Answer

When back pain persists, that area of the spine can become more sensitive, but this does not indicate tissue damage/further injury.

Regular exercise can settle this pain over time and is known to be one of the best ways to treat LBP.

Question 4

Repetitive lifting and bending causes wear and tear of the structures in my back.

Accepted Answer

The back is a strong structure that is made to move and bend. Regular movement is good for the spine, as it is with other body parts. Pain related to lifting and bending are safe if they’re done gradually and regularly. Pain related to lifting is often more the result of a sudden increase in load that the body is not used to - e.g. moving house.

Question 5

LBP is caused by poor posture when sitting, standing and/or lifting.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that LBP is not caused by poor posture or by a specific way we lift. When we are in pain, there may be certain postures that can exacerbate the sensitive areas but this is not a direct cause of the pain.

Suzanna Vukovic

Suzanna is a Remedial Massage Therapist (Diploma of Remedial Massage from Australian Institute of Natural Therapies 2006).