Misconceptions about Back pain and Neck pain - Mission Health

Myth : Back pain needs bed rest!

Fact : Bed rest can help an acute back strain or injury. But it is not true that you should stay in bed. Sometimes regaining immobile in bed can actually make pain worse.

Myth : Having back pain means some misplacement in back! – not necessary

Fact : Back pain can have multiple reasons and roots of origin which needs to be properly evaluated and treated.

Myth : Sitting up straight is good for back!

Fact : We know that slouching in chair is bad for back but sitting straight doesn’t prove useful as well. For rest we can lean by the back of chair with a support behind back and feet supported on floor. Or frequent rest intervals could be taken by changing the position to standing.

Myth : Sleeping on floor is good for back!

Fact : A hard surface is going to give pressure areas which is uncomfortable in itself and too soft Mattresses are going to disturb the original curvatures of spine. Sleeping on a firm mattress is ideal.

Myth : Injections can only help treat back pain!
Fact : Mode of Back pain treatment is going to differ with each cause it assumes.

Myth : Spine is fragile!

Fact : The spine and its surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments comprise a well-designed structure that’s incredibly b, flexible and supportive. To help maintain the back and spine, proper conditioning is needed – including strengthening and flexibility. While there are some exceptions to the rule (such as an unstable spinal fracture), the back does not need to be overprotected after recovering from a typical episode of back pain.

Myth : Getting back pain once , makes it frequent!

Fact : Back pain really has a good pace of recovery and most of the times the person can return back to activities. Very few people get long standing disabling problems.

Myth : Any pain in back or neck needs an x-ray to be done!

Fact : Most health professionals can develop a successful treatment approach based on a thorough medical history and physical examination. Only specific symptom patterns in a minority of cases indicate the need for an MRI scan or other sophisticated tests. Typically, an MRI scan is used when patients are not responding to appropriate back pain treatment.

Myth : I am physically active, so I should not get back pain!

Fact : While it’s true that well-conditioned individuals are less likely to have an episode of back pain than sedentary individuals, back pain can affect all people regardless of the level of activity.

Myth : Bad back pain can result in paralysis!

Fact : The spinal cord ends in the upper part of the low back (lumbar 1). Further down the low back there are only nerve roots, which are very tough structures. In most cases, a great deal of back pain does not usually indicate a back problem that could lead to paralysis.

Myth : Massage will help relieve neck pain and back pain!

Fact : These therapies can reduce acute back pain in the short-term, but do not provide a long-term
solution to back problems. They are used to manage pain during recovery, allowing patients to complete a rehabilitation program and participate in daily activities.

Myth : Subluxation or dislocation of cervical spine is the cause for neck pain!

Fact : Neck pain could have multiple reasons including disc degeneration or muscle spasm or other reasons.

Myth : Pillows are the cause of neck pain!

Fact : Pillow positioning which is incorrect can be a cause of neck pain not the pillows by them selves.

Myth : Standing causes more stress on the lower back than sitting!

Fact : Taking the intradiscal pressures into consideration, sitting is going to cause more load on spine compared to standing.

Myth : High heels are good for posture!

Fact : sHigh heels could give a trendy look, but it alters all the original curvatures of spine, and a healthy spine is all about maintaining those curvatures.