I have learned many back pain facts through my personal experiences, interviews with patients and extensive research. I have approached this subject with true objectivity and kept my mind open to all possibilities. When I was a patient suffering every day with horrible symptoms, all I wished for was someone that could help me find the solution to my pain. It took me 18 years, but I finally found that person. It was me.
I hope that this article encourages all of you to get more involved in your own care so that you do not repeat the mistakes I made while searching in vain for a cure. Remember, your most valuable healthcare advocate is most certainly yourself. You will never let yourself down, as long as you stay in the fight!
Many “facts” widely embraced by the medical community are actually subjective opinions, misunderstandings of verified truths or utter falsehoods. The facts presented in this essay can not be denied, as they represent the experiences of millions of back pain victims worldwide.
Back Pain Facts from Experience
If you read enough of my site, you will see that I suffered from more than just back pain. I had a long history of seemingly unrelated pain syndromes going back to childhood. I had knee problems, stomach problems, wrist problems, headaches, and allergies before being stricken with unbelievable back pain. As I worked my way through each of these conditions, it never occurred to me that as one ended, another began. Reading this, you must think: Wow, Sensei was a sick guy his whole life!
However, this is not the case. In fact, although I suffered from all these conditions, I never let any of them get to me. I was a happy-go-lucky kid and teen despite some pain. I was always in great shape. I excelled in school. I had lots of friends. I was a normal kid. I always led a full life and never complained or sought extensive treatment for anything. That was until I met back pain.
Fact one says that back pain is never a compartmentalized health issue. It is often related to a much larger picture of overall wellness, mind or body. Most patients have a trail of potentially related health issues leading to their back pain.
Back Pain Facts through Life Lessons
Once I developed back pain, I began to slowly lose control of my life. I was no longer the one making 100% of my own decisions. Sometimes, I would want to do something, but back pain said, “No!”
This frustration continued and progressed to the point where the pain really affected me. I began to plan every activity to include the possibility of a back ache flareup. The symptoms were unpredictable and seemed to pop up at the worst times.
If you too have chronic back pain, this is something I am sure you are familiar with. Life is impossible to plan, since you never know when the pain will strike you down and land you in bed for a week. Therefore, fact number two is that back pain affects mind and body equally. There is no way to suffer physically and feel great psychoemotionally. Likewise, if things are not right inside the depths of the mind, it will not be long before a health issue surfaces somewhere in the anatomy.
Real Facts About Back Pain
Ok, so I suffered badly. I suffered long. I received no real help or cure from any of the dozens of treatments I tried. What happened to fix me?
I woke up. It is that simple. I realized that my back pain condition did not make sense, based on the diagnoses I received over the years. I had been researching dorsalgia for what seemed an eternity at this point and suddenly it all made sense. I realized that my pain was caused by a psychological process, not some physical injury or defect. Within a few months of this discovery, I was cured. Completely cured.
Looking back, I realize that all my previous symptoms were a build-up to the inevitable back pain finale. My mind had been trying to distract me for years with only limited success using other pain conditions. When it found back ache, it discovered the answer. This is the reason I was able to overcome my other health problems, but the back symptoms were simply stronger than I was. Once I discovered that the pain was related to a controllable part of my mind, I was finally able to break the cycle of symptom escalation.
Want to know one last fact about back pain? Ok, this third fact is super simple… Back pain ruins lives. Don’t let it take control of your life. Learn more about your adversary and fight back while you still can.
