Toll Free 1-877-626-4500
Quick Links Home
The Need For Speed
It is critically important to apply ice and compression immediately after an injury. Studies show that recovery from an injury is directly related to how soon ice and compression are applied. More Ice Therapy facts »
The Way To Beat Back Pain Is Not To Take It Lying Down
Category: Cold Therapy
Oct 30, 2006
Tryst Williams, Western Mail
ANOTHER pearl of mam's wisdom bit the dust yesterday as the myth of "rest is best" for back pain was officially dispelled.
For generations, conventional wisdom held that a bad back should be treated with plenty of bed rest - preferably on a hard wooden board.
But launching the Assembly "Welsh Backs" campaign, ministers and officials stressed the importance of movement and exercise for sufferers.
The pronouncement joins a growing list of medical U-turns, such as recent research that tea, wine and chocolate can all be good for you.
Assembly Health Minister Brian Gibbons said, "A lot of people still incorrectly think that bed rest is the best remedy for back pain. Back muscles weaken when not used, so keeping active is the best route to a quick recovery.
"Back pain affects around 80% of us at some point - but it rarely indicates a major problem. The best course of action is to keep on the move."
The campaign was backed by Welsh TV personality and keen sportswoman Angharad Mair who urged sufferers "not to take back pain lying down".
Welsh health professionals welcomed the move, pointing out that discomfort while moving did not necessarily signal further damage to a bad back.
Mark McWilliam, a registered osteopath at Cardiff's Cathedral Road Clinic, said, "Generally mobility is better than immobility for bad backs. If there's no particular reason for the onset then bed rest isn't the appropriate thing.
"It's about trying to get the message through for people to use their muscles and ligaments as much as they can.
"However there are some certain conditions where we recommend 'Price' - Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation - depending on where the injury is.
"Generally people tend to feel from their own experience that it is better when they move. When they sit down they wonder, when they get up again, will it do them harm? But once you get going it tends to ease off."
Mr McWilliam said advice was changing due to trends in medicine and lifestyle changes.
"People thought it was caused by stress on the body and muscles going into spasm," he added. "The whole idea was that relaxation would help the body recover. Relaxation is the key, but you can relax while you are moving. I also think that for a lot of people in the past there were problems with manual labour causing physical trauma to the back."
However, one group of people the advice seemed to have passed by was the Queen and her doctors.
The monarch yesterday cancelled a trip to see Arsenal's new multi-million pound stadium after suffering a back injury.
Buckingham Palace officials said the 80-year-old Queen had strained a muscle.
Does mam really know best?
For generations Welsh mams have sworn by the adage that "rest is best" for back pain.
But as health workers turn their, ahem, backs on this piece of advice, how do other words of wisdom stand up to scientific scrutiny?
Wrap up warm or you'll catch a cold - parents' obsession with wrapping up warm to stop getting colds has long been pooh-poohed by the scientific community, who pointed out colds were caused by viral infections. However, researchers at Cardiff last year appeared to have found a link between feeling frozen and catching a cold.
Reversing decades of advice, in recent years caffeine and chocolate have been reported to reduce stress, and the odd tipple of red wine can be good for our hearts.
Alas, to the regret of mams everywhere, there is no proof that watching too much television gives you square eyes, potatoes grow behind dirty ears... or that your face will "stick like that if the wind changes".
Read the complete article here.