Healing Back Pain: Solutions

Health Care Coverage for Back Pain Treatments in the U.K.

If you are a citizen of the U.K., then you have access to public health care paid for by tax dollars. Each country of the U.K. has its own form of National Health Service (NHS); they are run independently but similarly.

These single-payer systems are designed to cover all basic health needs, including maintenance and emergency care services. Prescription drugs are free except in England, where the cost is kept below $12.00, according to this Time article: TIME.

Back pain treatment is considered a medical necessity. According to the U.K. NHS website, back pain is the leading cause of work absence in the U.K. For short-term back pain, the NHS suggests a combination of low-grade pain killers, like NSAIDS and COX-2 inhibitors, and self care techniques that they list on their website.

The NHS acknowledges that chronic back pain requires long-term treatment and will provide for services from an acupuncturist, exercise instructor, chiropractor or massage therapist. If you prefer to avoid waiting lists or want a kind of treatment not provided for by the NHS, you can obtain private insurance (self-purchased or through your employer if he or she offers it) or pay the cost out of pocket.

Except for the cost of prescription pain killers in England, all of the treatments above are covered by the NHS. Due to a shortage of acupuncturists, however, people choosing this treatment may prefer to pay for it out of pocket instead of sitting on a waiting list. The cost of this treatment varies between practitioners and can end up being rather expensive.

Aside from that, the NHS will offer eight exercise sessions over a 12-week period with a qualified instructor or eight sessions with a chiropractor or massage therapist over a 12-week period.

Exercise classes can help to alleviate back pain caused by muscle imbalances, muscle weakness and muscle tension. The classes are designed to build strength and stretch muscles. Many people have muscle imbalances due to daily activities that emphasize one group of muscles more than the group it works with. This distorts the body and causes pain. A lack of muscle tone, particularly in the core, can lead to improper posture since the spine is left unsupported. Muscle tension can become chronic if tense muscles are not stretched or assisted by other muscles. Many people find that relief from back pain comes with exercise.

Manual therapies like massage and chiropractic care work well for people whose spines are out of alignment and whose muscles are chronically tense. Chiropractic care involves the use of force to move spinal joints within (mobilization) and beyond (manipulation) their normal range of motion. This aims to loosen the area, free nerves from impingement and restore alignment.

Massage therapy offers various forms of care for your muscles. There are special types of massage for deep tissue damage, trigger points and regular tension. Getting rid of knots and inflammation within muscles and their surrounding tissue is necessary to eliminate both pain and its cause.

For a full rundown of the NHS’s back pain treatment program in the U.K., see NHS.

If these treatments fail, the NHS provides for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to attempt to modify your experience of pain and may recommend spinal fusion surgery. Communicate with a general practitioner soon about your more conservative options.

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