Low back pain is the most common back complaint
If your back hurts, it’s better not to move too much? Surely a hernia does not go away on its own? Five facts and fables about back pain in a row.
1. If you have back pain, don’t move
fable
With back problems, it is recommended to keep moving, so that your muscles remain flexible and your body ‘cleans up’ the cause of the pain. As far as you can move of course. So don’t force anything! Are you in a lot of pain? Then take paracetamol. A physiotherapist can guide you if necessary.
2. With a back hernia you always have to be operated on
fable
A back hernia goes away on its own in 70 to 80 percent of cases. In a hernia, a protrusion of an intervertebral disc presses on a nerve. This bulge is usually cleared by the body. As a result, you often have less pain within 8 to 12 weeks. After about a year, the hernia has completely disappeared.
3. You get back pain from old age
fable
Although back pain is more common in older people, there is no link between the two. The recovery is slower in this group, which means that complaints can last longer. This is due to a slower cell division than when you are younger. Cell division restores damage.
4. Low back pain is the most common back complaint
Fact
Four out of five people experience low back pain at some point. You then have pain in your lower back. The cause of this is often unknown. The pain may also radiate to the buttock or leg. It’s annoying, but luckily it often goes away on its own.
5. Severe back problems put you at risk of permanent disability
Fact
Some end up in a wheelchair due to back problems. For example, with a severe hernia or spinal cord injury. You can get the latter by accident. Your spinal cord – an important link between the brain and the body – is then damaged or severed. You become (partially) paralyzed.
This article previously appeared in +Gezond February 2022. Want to subscribe to the magazine? You can do that in an instant!
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