Over Half-Million Take Back Pain Assessment To 'Find Out What's Wrong'

Four out of five Americans experience back pain at some point during their lives; as a matter of fact, it's the 2nd most common reason people make an appointment to go see their doctor.

That's why Back.com works hard to educate those of you with back pain about what might be causing your discomfort and the treatments available today that can potentially provide relief. To help point you in the right treatment direction, we teamed with WebMD to launch the Back Pain Assessment—a quick and easy survey that asks about the location, severity and duration of your back pain and then, based on your responses, compiles a summary of your condition and offers general information about whether surgical or non-surgical treatment is typically most effective in cases with symptoms similar to yours.

To date, more than a half-million back pain sufferers have completed the Assessment questionnaire, and we think the results reveal an interesting snapshot of the types of back pain that many of you are experiencing and how you're dealing with it.

If you have low back pain and are treating it and seeing some improvement with conservative care—that is, rest, pain relievers, exercise, physical therapy and/or external bracing – you're in good company. Of the 517,821 people who have taken the Assessment to date, low back pain was by far the No. 1 complaint. The most severe and long-lasting discomfort, however, was reported by those with neck pain.

And if you're putting off making that doctor's appointment because you're afraid you'll end up on the operating table, go ahead and pick up the phone. You'll be happy to know that the majority of those taking the survey were not even considered candidates for spine surgery, based on their Assessment responses, and most likely will improve with non-surgical treatment methods like those mentioned above.

Here's a further breakdown of Assessment data: Of 517,821 respondents:

Some 194,498 – 37.6%—of the total number of respondents met the criteria for being a "possible surgical candidate", indicating that they were in "intolerable pain" and felt "no improvement in their condition after 6-12 weeks of conservative therapy". Respondents in this category included:


Although the Back Pain Assessment offers general suggestions about whether surgical or non-surgical treatment might be most effective, it's important to remember that, because everyone's spine is different and there's no "one-size-fits-all" solution for relieving back and neck pain, your doctor should be the ultimate resource for determining the treatment that's best for you.

The Assessment does, however, have some additional helpful features and information to help you communicate effectively and clearly with your doctor about your condition, which is critical for tailoring the right treatment for you.

The Treatment Options tab on your results page provides overviews of both surgical and non-surgical treatment options, with links under each to specific information about each treatment method, including different types of conservative care options and a variety of spine surgeries.

The Take Action tab allows you to access short video animations that help you learn more about the spine and its anatomy, as well as low back and neck disorders, along with a printable list of questions and talking points about back pain and treatment options that you can discuss with your doctor.

The Doctor's Report tab produces a report that summarizes your Assessment responses in the form of a letter that you can print out and show your doctor.

There's no reason for you to accept back pain as an inevitable part of life or the aging process! Take the Back Pain Assessment and with the appropriate treatment and care, you could be among the 90% of back pain sufferers who report feeling better within 4-6 weeks!