Dear Charles, For many years, back pain has controlled my life. Often times I would be floored by severe attack of back pain. In desperation I would drag myself along to my doctor in Owerri to get some prescription for medications and others and often I will get some very temporal relief. But the pain will always return.

In fact it was an endless cycle of pain and ineffective, temporary treatment. I did not understand why I could not find permanent relief. And when I asked my doctor, I got nothing but evasions and long-winded explanations.

Please, can you really help me?
– Duru, from Orlu, Imo State.

Dear Duru,
In actual fact, common mechanical pain in the back has been very elusive to medical science. And despite the magnitude of the problem, most people do not get adequate and cost effective treatment for their back pain. Most times medications, given to abate the agony became grossly ineffective. Unfortunately, some health care providers seem unable to agree on the ideal treatment for common back pain. While some advice rest, their colleagues recommend exercise. Some are strong believers in the pain-relieving properties of some drugs, while others are equally firm in their advocacy of massage. Despite this confusion, there is specific physiotherapeutic approach to common mechanical back pain, which meet with almost universal approval.
What you need to do is, ask your doctor to refer you to a good physiotherapy clinic around or make a rational choice and attend the two-day free intervention physiotherapy care on June 22 & 23, 2018 at Omega Physiotherapy & Back Pain Care Clinic, Owerri.

Dear Charles,
I developed pain sensation across the back of my right leg and sharp pains in my right ankle. I knew I was in trouble. I went to my doctor for diagnosis and prescription. He said my L4-L5 disc had problem.
I need to understand what was wrong with my back and what I could do to take the pain off my back, because the medication of several months never worked. He suggested surgery. Meanwhile, I have run into many accounts of people that had been through surgery, and found too many stories where things did not go well, too many permanent injuries, too many horror stories.
Is there any other way you can deal with my problem and where is your address in Abuja.
– Ahmed, Abuja

Related News

Ahmed, There could be good element of truth in your fears. In my years of practice I have come in contact with many people who had open back and neck surgeries. I have shared their agony, regrets etc., even though the surgery helped more than if hurts them, but some surgeries reduced only some of the patients’ pain and other surgeries are completely unsuccessful; range of motion is reduce and pain is not.
However, the traditional open back surgery is fast being replaced with a minimally invasive endoscope laser procedure to fuse the affected vertebra joint, and artificial disc replacement. Most patients, with common back pain are treated without surgery. Skilful physiotherapy has worked wonders in relieving pain in their backs.

Hello Charles, I have this back pain that has plagued me for decades following multiple traumas. As a physician and surgeon, I have treated myself with anti-inflammatory and other related drugs; they were really unimpressive.
I practice in Abuja. Please where is your outfit located?
– Sylvester (Dr)

Truly, back pain does not discriminate. There are sufferers throughout the hierarchy in the society. It does not respect status of persons. Surgeons who are mostly on their feet performing surgery for hours are not immune to common back pain. They are easily afflicted with back pain. Hardly will you see a surgeon without the complaints of occasional bouts of common back pain. Often times, they have helped themselves with pain killers.

A surgeon’s job is very tasking, especially on the longitudinal muscles of the back. They stand for long periods of time performing delicate surgery operation, which they find very dangerous to abandon if the muscles of their back demand rest. If the rest demanded by their back muscles is neglected, fatigue or weakness will set in the muscles which invariably will affect the ligament and the integrity of the spinal joint(s) eventually this would give rise to spinal disc distortion, what is commonly called slipped disc and pain will arise. Back pain among surgeons is common and it often develops into chronic back pain because of their dependence on unimpressive medications that give transient relief.

Doc, your courage to look down the ladder for remedy makes you wise and not inferior. This uncommon courage will surely help to put your painful back to rest.