Back pain: how your doctor’s words could influence your recovery

By Dave Newell, Professor of Integrated Musculoskeletal Care and Head of the Centre of Pain and Active Inference Research, Health Sciences University
Giacomo Rossettini, Musculoskeletal physiotherapist, School of Physiotherapy, University of Verona
Jorge Esteves, Visiting Professor, Centre for Pain and Active Inference (PAIn) Research, Health Sciences University

Jenny’s back pain usually settles within a few weeks. This time, 12 weeks have passed and it still intrudes on her life. Getting dressed hurts. Sitting through work is difficult. And something else is becoming harder to ignore: worry.

Why hasn’t it gone away? Is something seriously wrong? Will it ever get better?

Social media offers plenty of alarming possibilities. Jenny starts monitoring every twinge. Each painful movement seems to confirm that something must be wrong.

Jenny is fictional,…

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