[us_page_title align=”center” description=”1″ font_size=”3rem” line_height=”1.1″]

There has been much recent discussion about health funding in Australia.  Part of that is the cost of       x-rays for back pain. In the past, people would have a tendency to look at scans and x-rays. This would then form the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of the given condition. Medicine has moved on from those days  as we have improved our understanding of the mechanisms of pain. It is normal to see asymmetry in spines. It is also normal to see changes in joints and discs as we age. Importantly, people without pain also present with these changes. This is because these findings are usually not relevant in understanding the reason for the pain.

For most people they simply want their pain reduced so as they can go about their activities without pain limiting or stopping them. This is where physiotherapists come in. Physiotherapists are experts in assessing pain and function then actively working with you to restore normal pain free function as quickly as possible. With added concern about the use of codeine in the community, good pain relief from Physiotherapy can also assist in reducing the use of painkiller medication.

Published in “The Village Observer”, November 2015. Written by Burns Bay Physiotherapy.