Will I get better on my own?

Posted in: Management, Self-Care, Well Being    Keywords: , , , ,

There are usually two important questions that people with low back pain usually want answered. The first is when will the pain get better? The second is when will I be able to do my normal activities? Many people will want to try different treatments or see a doctor to help speed up their recovery. Other people who don’t have any Red flags for low back pain may choose not to see a doctor.

Those people might want to know what’s likely to happen even if they don’t get any specific treatments for their low back pain. Although it’s hard to predict exactly how you will respond, studies have been done in people with low back pain who don’t receive any specific treatments. These studies can help you know what to expect.

Most people say that even without any specific treatments their pain slowly gets better in the first few weeks. They usually have much less pain after 4 weeks. The pain often goes away almost completely after 6 weeks. During this time it’s very common for the pain to get better one day and worse the next. Sometimes this rise and fall in pain is related to overdoing things as soon as you feel better.

Most people find that the pain initially limits their normal activities. This is often because they are afraid of injuring themselves and don’t want to do anything to provoke the pain. After a few weeks the pain usually gets better and they start trying their normal activities again. As the pain continues to get better and they try doing more activities, their ability to do so gradually increases. Most people with low back pain are well enough to continue working.

Rest assured that most people who experience low back pain usually feel better within a few weeks. If you don’t have any Red flags, the intensity of your pain is not an indication of any damage to your body. Low back pain is a normal part of life; most people get it at some point during their lives. In the vast majority of cases, low back pain is not linked to any serious medical condition and will resolve on its own.

It’s important to realize your low back pain might not get better on its own if you’ve had it for a long time or if you have any Red flags. If your low back pain has been bothering you for more than 3 months in a row, it may not get much better than it already has without trying specific treatments. You should consider seeing a doctor at this point to get an evaluation.

 
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