Research released from the University of Sydney this week supports a more natural approach to managing lower back pain. Rather than hitting your pain with strong opioid based analgesics and avoiding activity, your can now expect your doctor advise you to keep moving, avoid heavy pain killers, and perform gentle exercises to recover. They will probably also refer you to physiotherapy to assist your recovery.
This is great news in the medical world, and we hope that updated practice guidelines will lead to changes in how Medicare funds and supports treatments for lower back pain.
As physiotherapists, we have been producing research for many years that supports a natural approach to managing lower back pain, including manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation such as pilates and yoga, patient education, and return to work/sport planning. The current research also supports a holistic treatment approach that includes relaxation, meditation and mindfulness to help combat the stress of back injury and assist in maintaining good mental health during recovery. It is exciting to see the medical world zooming in on this research evidence base, and applying it to the broader medical system.
At Thompsons Road Physiotherapy we take a holistic and caring approach, and we have years of clinical experience in managing lower back pain. We aim to get you moving again, and keep you that way. Phone us to discuss how we can help you with your back pain. (03) 9850 4437
Read more about the updates to best practice guidelines for managing lower back pain here.