A 38 year old, computer programmer, presented to Woodside Clinic with intermittent low back pain that he’d been getting for nearly two years. It was made worse by driving and when seated at his workstation.
He had tried several self-help books and exercises via the Internet but none of that seem to be giving any long-term relief. We examined his spine and observed him sitting behind his desk and in the car and managed to alter his work posture, prescribing specific exercises and changing the position of his car seat, which helped but did not provide him with complete resolution. On further questioning we found out that he does about 200 (two hundred) sit-ups everyday. It turned out that he was doing them incorrectly and putting an undue amount of strain on his back. A simple correction of the exercise have resulted in him being pain free for the last 18 months.
This case highlights the importance of factoring in all aspects of a patients lifestyle and basing the treatment on the individual as a whole rather than just the area causing the symptoms.