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5 Things You Should Know About Back Pain | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter | TED
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5 Things You Should Know About Back Pain | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter | TED

Back Pain: 5 Things You Should Know

In this video, Dr. Jen Gunter discusses five important things to know about back pain. She addresses common misconceptions and provides valuable insights on the topic.

Back Pain is More Than Just Spinal Issues

  • Our back consists of vertebrae, ligaments, discs, joints, muscles, tendons, and nerves.
  • The core muscles play a significant role in supporting the spine and relieving pressure.
  • Back pain can be caused by spinal issues as well as torn muscles or slipped discs.
  • Pain signals are processed in the nerves and brain, making back pain a complex condition influenced by factors like stress and anxiety.

Chiropractic Treatment is Not Supported by Science

  • Chiropractic treatment is popular but lacks scientific evidence for its effectiveness.
  • A study found no evidence supporting chiropractic treatment for any medical condition.
  • Some individuals may experience temporary relief due to the placebo effect.
  • It's important to note that chiropractic treatment can also be risky, with cases of vascular strokes reported after neck adjustments.

Imaging Techniques Don't Always Provide Accurate Diagnoses

  • MRI or X-ray results may not correlate with the level of pain experienced.
  • An individual with severe pain might have a normal-looking spine on imaging tests.
  • Conversely, someone without pain could show abnormalities on an MRI scan.
  • Imaging doesn't always capture muscle issues or provide insight into how pain is processed in the brain.

Back Surgeries May Not Be Effective

  • Research suggests that lumbar spine fusion and decompression surgeries are not more effective than nonsurgical treatments for back pain.

Physical Therapy as an Effective Option

  • Well-designed physical therapy programs can effectively treat acute and chronic back pain.
  • Physical therapy involves assessments and structured home exercise programs that need to be done regularly.
  • Multidisciplinary clinics may offer additional treatments like medications and injections.
  • There is no easy fix for back pain, and a comprehensive approach is often necessary.

The video transcript was in English, so the summary and study notes are also provided in English.

Channel: TED
Video description

Back pain is as common as it is complicated, and easy fixes are hard to find. Shedding light on this universal ailment, Dr. Jen Gunter shares five things we should all know about back pain, including possible causes, over-hyped treatments to avoid as well as research-backed therapies to talk to your doctor about in order to find some relief. For more on how your body works, tune in weekly to her podcast Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter, from the TED Audio Collective. Think you know how your body works? Think again! In this TED original series, Dr. Jen Gunter will share the truth about what's *really* going on inside you. For more, tune into her podcast, Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter: https://link.chtbl.com/BodyStuffYT Follow TED! Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Watch more: https://ted.com/bodystuff https://youtu.be/j94q-jjVpaY TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #health #infection