31 Days Project: Day 10

Day 10 of the big naked pain and brain campaign – Dr Oz and those jam doughnuts!

This clip also appeared in one of my earlier posts. The clip shows Dr Oz using a physical metaphor of jam doughnuts representing the discs in your back. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and for all clinicians reading this please understand your discs are not jam doughnuts, consider your language your patients may see it very differently. The mere thought of your disc being a jam doughnut paints a very vulnerable picture. So do we blame our disc for our pain or do we blame the notion that our discs are like jam doughnuts therefore providing a physical metaphor of vulnerability. Thus the noxious input in that context would evoke pain. It’s so important that we grasp that concept. In addition to understanding discs and back pain often we think an MRI scan will help to identify what the source of our pain is and commonly the disc is the source. However there is plenty of evidence to suggest that what is understood from an MRI report can change the outcome of an individuals pain experience, thus asking the question is imaging helpful or a hindrance?? (reference, reference).

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Tune in tomorrow for the next clip

TNP