Free DIY Back Pain Guide Available
The online tool from NHS Choices includes information about different types and causes of back pain, treatment options, and prevention methods.
NHS Choices, an ongoing outreach offered by Britain's National Health Service, has posted an online, do-it-yourself guide to addressing back pain. Using videos and still photos, the clinically approved guide shows how the back functions, what can go wrong, how to prevent back problems, and how to maintain good posture at home, while lifting or sitting at work, and while driving.
Safe lifting advice and exercises to strengthen the back are included. For anyone already suffering from back pain, the treatments section covers stretching, hot and cold packs, manual therapy, pain relievers, and more.
"Back pain is most common in the lower back, although people can also suffer in their neck, upper and middle back, lower back, and buttocks," general practitioner Dr. Knut Schroeder said in NHS material posted with the guide. "No matter where the pain is, it often becomes a real nuisance, sometimes even rendering people almost entirely immobile. The back pain guide on NHS Choices is a really useful tool, enabling people to learn about the pain they're experiencing, how best to manage it, and how it can be prevented. I would recommend anyone suffering with back pain to use the guide and if they're really concerned, visit their GP, too."