A national campaign to prevent back pain complications is organized among doctors and employees by the Health Insurance.
Organized in partnership with the main French learned societies involved in the treatment of back pain (general practitioners, rheumatologists, rehabilitation physicians, occupational physicians and physiotherapists), Assurance Maladie is launching a national campaign to combat false beliefs about back pain and help the French to prevent this “low back pain” from becoming more complicated and becoming chronic. Featured on television, on the internet, in an application and in information brochures, the campaign’s theme is: “Backache? The right treatment is movement ”.
A national public health issue
Lumbago or “turn of the kidney”, or “common acute low back pain” for doctors, is a major public health issue since 4 out of 5 people will suffer from low back pain during their lifetime and low back pain is the third leading cause of admission. in invalidity under the general scheme.
Above all, when we look closely at the cost of back pain, we see that less than 10% of patients accumulate more than 80% of the expenses. It is in fact the people whose illness will drag on and become chronic who represent the major part of the expenses.
However, this “chronicization” is a condition that can be prevented on condition that bad behavior is avoided, and in particular bed rest that patients mistakenly believe to be life-saving. Indeed, one in four people (24%) think that “low back pain is a serious problem” and nearly 7 in 10 (68%) believe that “rest is the best remedy for low back pain”, according to a BVA survey.
Low back pain should not prevent movement
The Health Insurance campaign aims to shatter false beliefs about bed rest or the severity of the disease and to encourage as much as possible the maintenance of physical activity, regardless of the means that allows it.
It is not in fact a serious illness, and the doctor will eliminate all risk in the absence of any sign of seriousness with a simple medical examination: there is no need for an x-ray. And even less to scan in the absence of these warning signs: the lesions that we could see are most often unrelated to the current pain and they will in no way modify the therapeutic strategy.
The treatment aims to relieve pain (applications of heat, self-stretching, drugs), to maintain physical activity by avoiding bed rest as much as possible and by limiting the duration of sick leave (taking into account the type of work and the length of the journeys to get there), even if it means temporarily arranging the workstation.
Maintaining physical activity is essential
After the painful episode has healed, it will be necessary to maintain an activity. Brisk walking, climbing stairs, swimming on the back… are some of the possible activities. No need to play sports (gymnastics, swimming …), other more fun activities are possible: Tai Chi, Yoga, ballroom dancing …
A free “app”, “Activ’dos” is made available by the Health Insurance in order to have practical advice on a series of exercises, postures … and there is even the possibility of following the evolution of his back pain.
There is also a Facebook page: “Maldedos.lebonmouvement” and on its site (ameli.fr), the Health Insurance also gives advice to relieve your back and avoid recurrence.
This campaign begins Friday on television and its message is simple: “In case of back pain, maintaining physical activity is the best way to recovery.”
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