
- Over half of those polled (52%) said their back pain troubled them at least several times a month, with 56% describing it as either somewhat or very severe. One in seven suffer every day.
- Nearly half (48%) said their problems had been going on for more than five years.
- Another fifth have been forced to give up a favourite past-time such as sport
- An estimated 2.5 million people experience back pain every day in the UK, whilst treating it costs the NHS more than £1 billion a year*
- 61% of people aged over 55 had back pain at least once a month, the figure for 18-24 year olds was even higher at 71%.
Managers suffer more than manual workers
Over a third of sufferers don’t seek medical advice
“Interestingly, our survey showed that 17% of people with back pain also suffer from claustrophobia”, comments Juliana Hyka, Radiology Manager of Medserena, “with women more prone to it than men – yet only 5% said they had been offered an upright open MRI scan for diagnosis.“Not surprisingly, 46% said they would prefer to stand up or sit down in a scanner which is open at the front – compared to just 19% who would opt for lying down in an enclosed tunnel”.
Treatments
About Medserena
The Medserena Centres in London and Manchester offer upright, open MRI scans which are very different to the conventional ‘tunnel’.
The scans are carried out in a natural weight-bearing position. You can stand up, sit down, flex your neck and be moved into different postures – so the scan is carried out in exactly the position that pain is experienced. In many cases, this provides a more conclusive diagnosis of back pain than traditional MRIs that are performed lying down.
The open structure is ideal for anyone suffering from claustrophobia and also accommodates very large patients – up to 35 stone – more easily than the tunnel type.