Did you know an estimated 540 million people in the world are suffering with low back pain at any one time? Today, 16 October, we’re celebrating World Spine Day. This year’s theme is BACK2BACK and focuses on the need to raise awareness of spinal pain as it remains the leading cause of years living with a disability.
Organised by the World Federation of Chiropractic, World Spine Day has over 600 official organisational supporters worldwide.
World Spine Days’ BACK2BACK will also highlight the ways in which people can help their spines by adopting healthier lifestyle choices. This can be achieved by staying active (especially if you’re sitting at a desk for most of the day), not overloading your spine, weight loss and quitting smoking.
The importance of spinal health
Back pain can be debilitating and can have a huge impact on all areas of your life. It may stop you from exercising, sleeping and from doing daily activities. In consequence, it can affect your mental health and overall wellbeing.
We promote the importance of spinal health not only to patients but to our staff too by encouraging people to go for walks during their lunchtimes and our occupational health professionals ensure healthy working conditions.
The causes of back pain
There can be many factors which may have contributed to your back pain:
- Poor posture, such as slouching at a desk or standing for a long time
- Overstretching when you bend
- Back trauma, such as an accident, sports injury or fall
Alternative treatments for back pain
If you have tried painkillers, physiotherapy, or if your GP believes your facet joints to be the leading cause of your back pain, at Benenden Hospital we offer our patients a procedure called facet denervation. Pain from the facet joints can feel like a dull ache in the lower back, directly over the spine, and this can spread to the buttocks. In the neck it can be felt in the shoulders and back of the skull. It is a commonly used procedure, carried out under local anaesthetic, that permanently stops a nerve transmitting pain.
Be kind to your spine today by discovering more about facet denervation, our expert physiotherapy team (pictured, above) or our other back pain treatments offered to self-pay patients at our hospital.
Today, many people self-pay for their treatment to help them get back on track to better health and wellbeing as quickly as possible. It removes the need to wait in an NHS queue for treatment.
If you’re thinking of funding your own treatment, ask us for a quotation by completing our online form or by calling our Private Patient Team on 01580 363158.
Published on 16 October 2021