Member Article

Nuffield urges back pain sufferers to seek help

Back pain is something most of us will suffer from at some point in our lives. With symptoms ranging from minor aches and twinges to feelings of agony, back pain can affect every aspect of day-to-day life, from work to hobbies and family activities.

According to latest statistics, 10 million working days are lost to back pain every year, the equivalent of £1billion in lost earnings. Back pain affects one-in-three people every year and, for one-in-five, it becomes a chronic, disabling condition.

Despite the fact that back and neck pain is not only debilitating, but can be a sign of more serious conditions, many people face problems trying to get a proper diagnosis, or they fail to seek help, believing they will simply have to live with the problem. A recent survey found a third of people who went to their GP to discuss back pain felt their concerns weren’t taken seriously enough.

Just as there are many causes of back pain, from lifestyle to work and more serious underlying conditions, there can be many treatment avenues.

Nuffield Tees has four specialist spinal consultant surgeons, with patients seeing the same consultant from their very first consultation, through to their treatment and aftercare. Mr Chandra Bhatia and Mr Raman Kalyan specialise in degenerative spinal conditions; Mr Daniel Fagan is particularly interested in state-of-the-art treatment for conditions such as slipped discs and spinal stenosis and Mr Tai Friesem is renowned for his work in cervical disc replacements.

Consultants carry out a range of treatments and procedures, including freeing trapped nerves, therapeutic injections, disc replacements, and fracture correction, all either designed to reduce pain and inflammation or to provide a long-term solution. Advances in medical technology mean many spinal procedures can now be performed as minimally invasive surgery.

The hospital also arranges regular free events on managing back pain, as well as running its own Back to Fitness spinal rehabilitation programme from its fully-functional physiotherapy suite.

Nuffield Tees hospital director Lesley Lock said: “Back pain is such a common condition, but it’s one that we really don’t have to ignore. Many of our patients have struggled previously to get a diagnosis or haven’t known where to turn to for help, but no one should be continuing to live with pain which can be alleviated or cured. In the vast majority of cases, there will be exercises, techniques or surgical treatment which can make a huge difference to a patient and their lifestyle. I’d urge everyone with back pain not to suffer in silence but to seek help.”

Patients treated at Nuffield Tees benefit from short waiting times, matron-led care, free car parking, complimentary wi-fi access and en-suite patient bedrooms, which have just undergone a six-figure refurbishment.

The not-for-profit hospital treats privately-funded patients, those who choose Nuffield through medical insurance and NHS patients who are referred by their GP or opt to go to the hospital through the choose-and-book system.

For more information on treatment options and open events, contacttees.enquiries@nuffieldhealth.com or (01642) 924 323, or you can visithttp://www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/tees

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .