Back problems plague about four in five of us – from lower back twinges to major incapacitating pain that knocks us out of action. Fiona Story's pain took her to the brink of the operating theatre – but for now she's sticking with non-surgical methods for keeping it under control.
Fiona, 66, has run a riding school in Cambridge for about 40 years. "I'm always out and about – I live a lot of my life outdoors, and I do a lot of competitive dog-training too, so I'm always very active. I had the odd bout of pain, and backache before, especially when you're mucking out a lot of the time, but it's a physical job you get used to. Then it started to get worse, till it got to the point where I just wanted to go to bed and lie down all the time – and for someone like me, life isn't worth living if that's all you can do. I was taking ordinary painkillers and they just weren't doing the trick. If you can't keep going with those you know you've got a problem."
As she'd been a Bupa member for about 10 years, her GP referred her to a back specialist for a series of tests. Eventually she was diagnosed with a condition called spinal stenosis (where the spaces in the back narrow) and booked for an operation. "I felt I could cope with a month off if I'd be back to normal afterwards."
Then, a week before she was due to go into hospital, she was called by a nurse from Bupa's Treatment Options Service. "She rang me completely out of the blue for a chat, which was very impressive – in fact, I was quite taken aback. She really did seem to be on my side, with a huge amount of knowledge and support. I was quite surprised to realise that surgery wasn't the only choice. It was a more serious operation than I'd thought and would involve a longer recovery period, and may not leave me totally pain free. I love being outdoors and I didn't want to spend a long period off work and sitting around. It also isn't always that effective, so I started to have second thoughts. She sent me a DVD on the operation and different treatments, and I phoned her back for another chat to talk things through before I did anything definite. I then rang the hospital and said 'thanks, but no thanks'."
A different path
Instead, Fiona opted for upgraded painkillers and physiotherapy. "My GP has been very helpful prescribing different painkillers to try. I only take them when it hurts, because the pain comes and goes. It can get pretty bad, but so far I've got through. I've also had physio, paid by Bupa, and that has helped as well because it stretches the muscles. Again, I go for sessions when the pain gets bad, but I've also learned the exercises that help keep it under control."
She's keeping an open mind about the future. "I'm quite clear that if it gets to a stage where these painkillers can't deal with the pain and I'm unable to do my normal things, I'd have nothing to lose by having the operation. For the time being, though, it's totally on hold. I'm happy with exercises and occasional medication." The main thing, she concludes, is that as things stand she's still able to be as active as before. "I'm not the sort of person who can sit and watch telly and vegetate. That's not my lifestyle. I've never been told not to do anything, and if anything I think the more you do the better. Yes, I have times when I need to tackle my back problems – but otherwise I just do everything I've always done."
Back basics
Unless your back is completely knocking you out, the best way to
start tackling back pain is usually to keep moving (the days of "bed rest" for a bad back are well and truly over). Try hot or cold packs (a hot water bottle or well-wrapped packet of frozen peas will do) and, if necessary, try over-the-counter painkillers. As Fiona found, there are a lot of other options leading on from there, including painkilling injections, specialised exercises and pain management programmes and finally surgery, as a last option for people whose backs simply will not respond to any other type of treatment.
