Online resource to help sufferers ease back pain

A comprehensive tool to help people manage back pain has been developed by a team of international health experts led by University of Queensland researchers.

Following extensive consultation with people living with lower back pain (LBP), MyBackPain.org.au was launched to provide tailored, trustworthy information not readily found elsewhere. UQ School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences researcher Professor Paul Hodges said despite the widespread occurrence of LBP many people receive ineffective and unnecessary assessments and treatments.

“There are many myths surrounding back pain and many of the treatments that people use have no evidence of being effective,” he said. “For instance, people often believe they should rest when they have back pain, but rest can actually make it harder to get over back pain.

“One of the best methods of recovery can be to stay active and resume normal activities as soon as possible.” In Australia up to 80 per cent of the population experience back pain, with direct healthcare costs of $4.8 billion per year.

“Paracetamol is a widely taken medicine for back pain but studies have shown that...

(please click here to continue reading the article).