Articles

Bad reassurance: "You’re fine! Don’t worry!"

Gabrielle Lis

Doctors and allied health professionals aiming to avoid over-treatment can actually make things worse for patients with back pain by offering reassurance that fails to reassure, according to spine care specialist Dr Donald Murphy.

Although we’d like to believe that whenever we go to see a healthcare professional we receive help not hindrance, the fact is that some forms of care do more harm than good.  A recent US study found that patients with acute low back pain who receive unnecessary scans, referrals and prescriptions are significantly more likely to develop chronic LBP than those whose care is in line with international guidelines for the treatment of LBP....

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Published 28 April, 2021 | Updated 04 May, 2021