A Common Nuisance (or) Three F’s

A Common Nuisance or Three F's
My first day after winter break as a second year medical student included more than a case of the Mondays. I experienced an all too common nuisance: low back pain. According to the NIH, “Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work.” I didn’t skip school, but the unpleasant ache in my back surely did not help me concentrate during four hours of sitting in a lecture hall.

I’ve responded to my low back pain as one might expect of a person who willingly chose to undergo the rigors of medical training by researching everything that has to do with low back pain. The good news is that “for 90% of people their symptoms will improve no matter what treatment is used-even if no treatment is given.” The bad news is that many treatment options show limited effectiveness. Most recently, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), a popular treatment option, has been proven to be ineffective wasting both time and money.

For my case of an acute low back pain, I’ve learned “the only therapy with good evidence of efficacy is superficial heat.” Also, even though it hurts me more than my low back does to say this, it’s better to stay active than on bed rest so I’ll have to continue my normal routine instead of napping all day. Finally, I may still recommend to wifey that a deep back massage is completely necessary despite the absence of strong medical evidence.


I would say I am a simple woman. Simple and basic things bring me a lot of happiness. I enjoy keeping my life streamlined and saving time is a bonus. There are three (appropriate to mention on my blog) “F’s” in life that keep me smiling: Family, Fitness, and Fun. Zumba has become one of my favorite workouts. I have attended this fantastic workout class with my sister and friends. It’s 50 minutes of nonstop moving and shaking. I went yesterday and had a smile on my face the entire time. It’s something about shaking my booty to latin beats that is a blast…ladies I know you feel me. Anyways, Zumba is FUN, so if you haven’t tried it, do so soon. You’ll become hooked like me, but hey, it’s a good addiction to have and an easy way to incorporate the three F’s. So grab a sibling, mom, or whomever, and go get your Zumba on. Your Mr. will notice your toned body in no time, plus you can show him some newly acquired latin moves. Until next time…Ciao.

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