In anticipation of lower (and upper!) back pain.

I have yet to experience an appointment with a client who wishes me to treat the possibility that they could experience lower back pain in the future.

Imagine the conversation:

Client: Hi Chris

Me: Hi, good to see you again. What brings you here today?

Client: I’m concerned that I might suffer lower back pain quite soon.

Me: Oh, do you have any back pain at the moment?

Client: Nope, but I’m worried I will. Everyone else has it but not me. Yet.

In a world where predictive DNA and Gene analysis claims to identify between 35 and 5000 conditions before they actually happen, and yet, statistically, 4 out of 5 of us will suffer some level of lower back pain in our lifetimes, then this is not such a crazy scenario.

Of course, if my fictitious client was below 35 or over 55, in a well-paid job that didn’t require frequent heavy lifting, had a high level of education, was of a robust disposition, and could deal with short-term acute pain, then I might say to them, You should be fine, make sure you continue looking after yourself.

If their lived experience includes just one or two of the above, then I’d say they were probably being properly proactive. But what then? I might review lifestyle factors such as exercise and movement, diet, attitudes to excess and abstinence. I could even discuss their relationships and their mental health.

The trouble is none of us can predict the future, and they may get out of bed the ‘wrong way’, and hey presto, the prophecy is (self) fulfilled.

Low back pain is big business – estimates run into billions of pounds and millions of worker days in lost productivity. I wonder why employers don’t provide a certain level of corporate prevention and care. It’ll be cheaper than sick pay plus lost productivity.

I digress, however, because I am writing about the anticipation of lower back pain as I’m looking forward to some serious professional development with one of the best medical acupuncturists in the country, and the subject is treating lower back pain.

I expect to spend a whole day exploring some unsuspecting volunteer’s lower lumbar regions, discussing vertebrae, slipped discs, sciatica, spinal muscles, nerves, fascia and the strange phenomenon of spasms.

So if you are (as I am from time to time!) one of the 80%, give me a call, or if you are one of the 20% (like my fictitious client), then here’s some good advice.

Does acupuncture help? 3 of these 4 clinical guidelines recommend acupuncture as an effective treatment for back pain.

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidance Network: SIGN 136 (2019  –

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Comparative Effectiveness Review Number 227. Non-invasive Non-pharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review Update  Recommends Acupuncture

The Joint Federal Committee of Physicians and Health Insurance Plans in Germany (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA) recommends acupuncture

NICE Guidelines NG59 (2016, updated 2020). Low back pain and sciatica in over-16s: assessment and management. Does not recommend acupuncture, but

NICE does recommend acupuncture for Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain