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Preventing and actively treating back pain

New self-help book from MedUni Vienna in collaboration with Manz Verlag publishing house
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(Vienna, 30 May 2022) Around 1.9 million people in Austria suffer from chronic back pain - it is very widespread and the second most common reason for sick leave. The most frequent causes of back or lower back discomfort are lack of exercise, negative stress, and degenerative changes such as wear and tear. However, there are also many other potential causes, so that back pain is often treated using interdisciplinary therapeutic approaches. Richard Crevenna, Head of MedUni Vienna's Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Occupational Medicine, addresses this approach in his recently published guide. In this book, he is joined by a multi-professional team of authors to provide information about back pain that is based on the very latest scientific knowledge.

The team of authors led by Richard Crevenna includes specialists in general medicine, orthopaedics and trauma surgery, physical medicine and general rehabilitation, internal medicine, occupational medicine, as well as physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational and organisational psychologists, clinical and health psychologists, psychotherapists, and sports scientists. Each of these areas plays a role in the assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration of back pain sufferers.

Presented in a practical and patient-oriented format, expertise from all these disciplines is combined in the new book from the "Health.Sciences" series produced by MedUni Vienna in collaboration with MANZ Verlag. "What unites these disciplines is the shared goal of relieving the patient's often agonising suffering and accompanying them along their path to lasting freedom from pain," says Richard Crevenna.

With tips and exercises
As well as outlining ways to prevent back pain, the book details the whole spectrum of non-surgical treatments. About 80% of back-pain-sufferers have "non-specific" back pain. This is manifested by episodes of pain, for which there is no identifiable trigger. In such cases, there is a lot that sufferers can do for themselves to relieve the pain and get fit again. "The important thing," says Richard Crevenna, "is to do something to prevent the pain from becoming chronic. When back pain or lower back pain occurs, the worst thing you can do is to rest. You have to force yourself to keep moving or to start moving." The book also offers tips and exercises to follow to treat or prevent non-specific back pain, as well as advice as to when it is essential to seek medical help.


Book details:
Richard Crevenna: "Back pain - active prevention and treatment";
Health.Sciences series; MedUni Vienna at MANZ Verlag:
ISBN 978-3-214-02529-8, 208 pages, €23.90;
Online order at: www.manz.at/gesundheit-wissen

Event information:
"Back pain - active prevention and treatment" including book launch: informational event for lay and professional audiences led by Richard Crevenna, 28 June 2022, 17:30 to 21:00 hrs, in MedUni Vienna's Van Swieten Hall, Van-Swieten-Gasse 1a, 1090 Vienna.
You can register at: pmr-office@meduniwien.ac.at