Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Unless your back injury is obviously significant, many patients first try to address their issue from the comfort of their home with non-operative management techniques. However, because you won’t be able to draw on professional guidance when you treat an issue on your own, you’ll be more likely to run into roadblocks with your recovery. Many people find that their back issue simply isn’t improving as they had hoped when they first began treatment.

What’s the reason for this, and more importantly, how can we get our rehab back on track so that we can overcome this debilitating back pain? In today’s blog, we look at three of the most common reasons why your back pain isn’t improving despite your treatment efforts.

Why Your Back Pain Isn’t Getting Better

Let’s take a closer look at the three most common reasons why your back pain isn’t getting better despite your efforts.

1. You’re Not Actually Treating It – Some people think that they can just continue to go about their day and their back will eventually feel better after a couple of days. They may take it a little easier for a day or two, but the reality is that they aren’t really doing anything to help provide the right environment for healing for their spine. Our bodies are amazing and can recover from a lot of different ailments, but this process is easier when you make conscious decisions to help the process along. If you’re really not doing anything to help your body recover, you shouldn’t be surprised that recovery is slow or non-existent.
2. You’re Pursuing Passive Treatments – Another common issue that ties in with the above point is that oftentimes people pursue the wrong type of treatment when they do commit to a recovery plan. Instead of pursuing active treatments like physical therapy, exercise and weight loss, they pursue passive treatments like rest and over-the-counter pain medications. Don’t get us wrong, rest and pain meds can certainly play a pivotal role as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, but they should not be your only form of treatment. These passive pursuits really only target the symptoms of your issue, not the underlying cause of your pain. That may help in the short-term, but it won’t bring an end to your back discomfort in the long run. It’s going to take some effort on your end to overcome your back pain, so don’t assume you’ll be able to just pop a pill and lay in bed until your back pain is gone. Dive into some active treatments that get your body moving and help it become stronger.
3. Misdiagnosis – As we mentioned in the introduction, when you try to treat back pain on your own, you don’t have the luxury of leaning on a professional for guidance. Because the back is such a complex structure, and because many spine issues present with similar symptoms, it’s easy to misdiagnose your back issue during a self-diagnosis. You may assume that you’re dealing with a muscle strain when you’re actually dealing with a compressed nerve, or you may believe your alignment issue is actually the result of spinal stenosis. If you don’t truly know what’s going on in your spine, you may end up pursuing suboptimal treatments. If you believe you’re doing right by your spine and still not seeing symptom improvement, your best bet is to connect with a spine specialist who can view your condition in person and provide an accurate diagnosis. Once you know precisely what you’re dealing with, you can get set up with a personalized recovery plan that helps you overcome your issue.

There are plenty of reasons why your back pain isn’t improving, but we’re confident that Dr. Sinicropi and his team can help you overcome any of these obstacles. For more information, or for help with a different neck or back concern, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

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