Symptomatic back pain treatment targets the symptoms of a diagnosis, rather than trying to cure the underlying cause of pain. Symptomatic treatment is commonplace in medicine today. Long gone are the times when doctors put effort into the diagnostic process and sought to cure the underlying cause of pain. Now, it is much easier and more profitable to treat the symptoms of the leading chronic pain syndromes. Medical science has simply not been very effective at curing many common back pain conditions. Most of the accepted treatments for back pain only provide the possibility for relief from the symptoms, rather than attempt to correct the actual cause of the condition.
Symptomatic treatments are fine if the condition is incurable, but if used for curable back ache, they are examples of bad medicine and poor science. However, symptom-based care is incredibly lucrative, giving service providers all the incentive they need to propagate these methods of treatment worldwide.
Symptomatic Back Pain Treatment Uses
Some back pain is due to massive trauma or actual physical disease. Some of these conditions are not able to be easily cured through medical treatment. The doctor will prescribe symptomatic relief as a way to improve the quality of the patient’s life. This is an excellent use of symptomatic back pain relief. Some patients can function quite normally, as long as their pain is kept under control. It is humane and perfectly acceptable to treat the symptoms, if the actual cause is unresolvable. Unfortunately, the majority of symptomatic treatments are used for patients who can be cured of all their pain. The use of prolonged symptomatic treatment for monetary gain is common in the medical industry.
Personal injury mills are known for keeping a patient in extended care much longer than necessary. It is no wonder that the back pain epidemic continues to grow at an alarming rate. There are simply too many patients in treatment and not enough getting better.
What is Symptomatic Back Pain Treatment?
Symptomatic treatment works to relieve the symptoms of the condition, rather than actually heal the underlying cause. Symptomatic treatment is the equivalent to adding a monthly quart of oil to a leaking engine, rather than fixing the actual leak. If no mechanic is available, or if the leak is too large to fix, then the monthly addition of oil is a good solution. However, if the leak is easily and inexpensively fixed, then adding the oil month after month is not advisable.
Add to this scenario, the fact that the oil salesman is also the one who advises you that fixing the leak is not necessary. This is the same dishonest, profit-motivated attitude displayed by greedy healthcare providers purveying symptomatic treatments to their patients.
Think about it…
Examples of Symptomatic Treatment
Not all care providers continue symptomatic treatment past its usefulness or use it instead of attempting to provide a true cure. A good healthcare provider will always prefer to resolve the condition and will work tirelessly to assist the patient in their recovery. There are some healing arts that are commonly abused as examples of symptomatic treatment:
Chiropractic is one of the most abused methods of symptomatic relief. Many, many patients are advised that chiropractic will permanently correct their various spinal conditions when they begin treatment. However, the reality of the temporary results soon becomes apparent and the patient realizes that they have become dependent on regular spinal adjustments in order to maintain relief. Some patients must maintain these adjustments for their entire life, without any hope for an actual cure. Chiropractors that practice under these guidelines give the entire back pain industry a bad name. Shame on you.
Pain management drugs are the most commonly abused form of symptomatic back pain relief. There are literally millions of legal prescription drug addicts who can’t wait for the next fix of their meds. Patients with unresolved pain have been swept under medicine’s carpet by the millions.
“If we can’t cure them, then just give them drugs. That will shut them up!”
Drug companies make billions and offer large incentives to doctors who prescribe their products. Don’t fool yourself, medication is big business. The worst results of this treatment are the addictions, side effects, ruined lives and descent into more powerful and less legal forms of pain control. Doctors, if you treat with medication alone, shame on you.
Symptomatic Back Pain Treatment Advice
Please do not write to me with complaints on this page. It does not apply to you if…
You are using medicine for temporary relief.
You have a truly incurable condition.
You are a doctor who prescribes wisely.
You are a chiropractor who is honest and upfront about treatment.
In these cases, I do not mean to include you in any of these generalizations.Now, If you are a patient or doctor abusing yourself or your patients with poorly prescribed symptomatic back pain treatments, then you guessed it: Shame on you!
Back Pain > Treating Back Pain > Symptomatic Back Pain Treatment
