As sure as there are potholes in the streets of New Orleans – once you’ve had an attack of low back pain, it’s bound to happen again!

…But, why?

I believe there is one main reason for this – and it should make you happy!

…Are you ready?

It’s your own fault.

Don’t misunderstand me – I don’t mean to be insensitive. I consider this to be a good thing because that means you have some level of control in the matter.

I have a patient who I see around 2-3 times per year when her low back pain really flares up. She comes back for a few weeks of treatment, gets well and then I see her back on my schedule a few months later with the same complaints. Most recently she wanted to have a discussion around why her low back pain keeps coming back.

She’s an attorney, very dedicated to her profession and she stays moderately active for a woman in her mid-60’s. She has two grown daughters, one with a newborn and another in medical school. Needless to say, they still rely on mom and dad for a little financial support.

Knowing these few facts, I told her that when she does things like standing for hours at the computer or sitting in the car for long drives, it’s like making a withdraw from her bank account. In other words, when she does things that aren’t healthy for her back, she sees a smaller number in her account.

…But, the great thing is that she can also make deposits and see her money grow!

When she does things like her home exercises, chooses healthy back activities and coming for regular treatments her account gets BIGGER. The reason she has ups and downs with her low back pain is simply a matter of “not managing her money well”. She makes too many withdraws and not enough deposits resulting in a “back pain overdraft”.

Do you see what I mean?

So, how much “money” do you have in your back pain account?

Try making small deposits by not sitting longer than 30-40 minutes at a time, practicing good posture, using good mechanics when lifting and participating in daily stretching. Make more deposits than withdraws and over time watch your low back pain account grow! This means less frequent and less intense episodes of low back pain.

Now the question becomes – what are you going to do with all that money? 😊