5 Reasons Your Back Pain Treatments Fail

Jun 8, 2021 11:59:48 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett

It can be one of the most frustrating feelings to seek ongoing treatment for back pain, only to find that after much time and effort, you still have back pain. In my years of practice, I have seen many people come in after treatments with other doctors that yielded no results. Here are five of the most common reasons that your back pain treatments might be failing.

1. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to treatments for back pain, what you get is based on who you see. For instance, if you see a physical therapist, he or she will prescribe stretches and specific exercises. Still, if you see an orthopedist, he or she will likely prescribe anti-inflammatory medications and potentially surgery. For a treatment to be successful, you have to be in the right place at the right time with the right health care specialist.

You significantly increase your chances of being in the right place at the right time with the right person. In doing The Back Pain Inflammation Index, outlined in my book 3 Weeks To A Better Back, you can figure out where your pain is coming from and follow my recommendations of what type of doctor or practitioner to see. From there, do your research! Ask around and get recommendations from your friends. By doing research and asking around, you are more likely to get treatments with which you feel confident and effective.

2. You (and your doctor) assume the problem is where the pain is.

If you or your doctor thinks that treating only the area where you are experiencing pain is the answer, think again! This treatment method does not encompass the big picture, which means that you will be missing results.

Most doctors and patients expect that their back pain is indicative of a problem in the back. For most sufferers, the problem is not your back. When analyzing a back pain sufferer, it is always important to keep in mind that everything in your body is related. For instance, a foot imbalance could cause low back problems or a jaw imbalance could result in shoulder pain. If your doctor insists on looking at your body as separate regions, rather than an entire system of all integrated pieces and working together, find a new doctor. Regional exams broken up by neck, mid-back, and low back are doomed to fail—and that means frustration, wasted money, and ongoing pain.

3. Your doctor created your treatment plan based on an MRI result.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven to be worthless when it comes to back pain—at least when an entire treatment plan is based solely on MRI results. That’s because this type of imagery is insufficient to determine the cause of most back pain. While an MRI can help assess injury to ligaments and tendons, usually, the source of the pain is not where you feel it. This makes the MRI ineffective in creating a treatment plan for pain caused by something else.

4. Your doctor isn’t looking at ALL of the three potential causes of back pain.

That’s right. There are THREE causes of back pain. Back pain is not just a muscular or a structural problem, but often a combination of structural imbalances, reactions to emotional stressors, and an improper diet. By only addressing one facet of cause, your doctor is missing 66% of the information (and 66% of your pain relief potential!)

5. Your diagnosis is a prescription of a lifetime of pain .

Because our current system is solely based on the structural/anatomical model of treatment, our medical professionals have developed diagnoses designed to make them look intelligent while convincing the back pain sufferers that they have a condition that will bother them for their whole life. Diagnoses such as degenerative disc disease, disc bulge, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and arthritis are believed to be recipes for a lifetime of suffering or at the least a “bad ” In fact, this could not be farther from the truth! 

So – how does one get back pain management success? My book 3 Weeks To A Better Back will help you identify your type of suffering, create a 100% solution, and eliminate your back pain—in just a few short weeks.  Or better yet, are you in New York? Come see me at Tru Whole Care in Midtown!

Tags: Causes of Back Pain, Assessments, Emotional & Stress, Chiropractic

Dr. Todd Sinett

Written by Dr. Todd Sinett

Dr. Todd Sinett is a well-known New York City-based Chiropractor and Applied Kinesiologist, the Backbridge inventor, and author. His unique, integrative approach has helped thousands of patients lead healthier, pain-free lives.