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Second opinion for lower back pain / sciatica
Second opinion for lower back pain / sciatica
This episode is entitled “Second opinion for lower back pain / sciatica” and you will learn:
- How to make that decision
- What to look for when getting a second opinion for lower back pain / sciatica
How to make that decision
If you’re not pleased with the progress you’re making, ask your practitioner why that is. Be blunt, yet diplomatic, about it. Have that conversation with your practitioner. What you’re looking for from them is that even if they weren’t concerned in the first place, the fact that you’re concerned about the lack of progress should concern them. If they are offhand about it, or you don’t feel taken seriously, or like you got a satisfactory answer, go for a second opinion somewhere else.
Another sign is if you’ve been going several times and the practitioner hasn’t given you any kind of estimate about how long it might take to achieve X percent of improvement or hit a landmark. There should be expectations set early on by them around what you should achieve. If they haven’t said that, nudge them by asking “what sort of time span do you think we should be putting on this before I can see that kind of improvement?”
Compare notes with friends who’ve had back pain /sciatica. The problem with that is we all have slightly different versions. Just as it may have only taken your pal a couple of treatments at the chiropractor, and he was feeling a hundred percent, for you it may be more like 10 months before you can see a substantial improvement. That’s because your problem is very different to your friend’s back pain. It’s important for all of us to be regarded as individual. There is not a one size fits all approach to this.
What to look for when getting that second opinion for lower back pain / sciatica
I know osteopaths I wouldn’t touch with a barge pool, because I don’t read them as practitioners. They’re not curious, learning, developing or growing. They’re stuck in the way they work and act. Sometimes I’m certain what’s wrong with people, but even then, I will give them a percentage of certainty. These are the various contributing factors. It’s up to you which one of those do you want to address.
Look for someone who explains to you how you’ve come to be in the position you are in, and empowers you to help yourself to A) get better and B) prevent recurrence. Someone who’s specializes in this field of back pain / sciatica and will address not just the relief element, but also prevention, how to stop it from happening again. Don’t look for passive approach. You don’t want to be told to take pills or injections surgery without understanding why.
You might just want somebody to fix you, but that is unlikely to last. Unless you get to the root cause and adress the different risk factors for your particular problem, it’s likely to happen again. 60% of lower back pains recur within 12 months. Look for someone who tells you the causes and risk factors for your pain and how to reduce them in the long-term. Someone who explains things to you in a way you can understand, and share the decision-making with you around what you want to do about that and how to go about it and support you in the process.