Terminology

Many back pain terms and diagnoses increase the threat associated with low back pain.

“[Mechanical back pain] sounds like something wrong with like your bones”

50 YEAR OLD MALE WITH ACUTE PAIN

Even a simple term like ‘sprain’ can lead to avoidant behaviour:

“[The GP] said most likely it was just a lumbar sprain ... when I get that sharp pain, I guess I’ve moved in a way that’s continually putting strain on an area of the muscle that I’ve damaged ... my assumption would be that I was making it worse”

36 YEAR OLD FEMALE WITH ACUTE PAIN

An injury diagnosis (i.e. sprain/strain) reinforces the need to focus upon the injury. Optimal back pain management does not require initial rest like sprains and strains patients have experienced previously. This inconsistency can be confusing. Visiting different health professionals will also invariably result in different diagnoses.

“they all have a completely different opinion on what’s wrong. Um, so it was like well, I don’t know which of you is right, I don’t know who to listen to ... it’s just really hard having all those different opinions thrown at you”

25 YEAR OLD FEMALE WITH CHRONIC PAIN