As predictably as hairdressers focus on split ends and cobblers look for run-down heels, certain kinds of back practitioners tend to diagnose with tunnel vision. Believe it or not, the name of your back problem may depend on the type of your practitioner's specialty, such as:

Chiropractic diagnosis

The chances are nine out of ten you'll be told your spine is misaligned. 'Misalignment' is the specific term chiropractors use most often to describe back pain. 'Sublimation' is another, more impressive way of saying misalignment, but it means the same thing. 'Twisted pelvis' is another common way for chiropractors to describe a specific area of an improperly aligned spine. So is 'spinal curvature', indicating either a slight scoliosis (lateral curvature) or increased lordosis (an overly pronounced inward curve in the lower back). Chiropractors also talk in terms of 'pinched nerves' and congenital bone defects such as 'malformed hips'.

There is nothing inappropriate about these diagnoses. On the contrary, it reassures many back sufferers to know that the chiropractor feels something is wrong. Given a choice between having a 'bad back' or a 'subluxation of L4, L5' with a 'twisted pelvis' to boot, many people prefer the latter diagnosis. After all, they are in pain, and they want to know why.

Surgeons

When you see a surgeon, he or she is primarily interested in the question: could these symptoms be helped by an operation? If the answer is no, they will usually discharge you or refer you to another specialist. The two most common diagnoses from orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons are 'low back syndrome' and 'there is nothing really wrong'.

Most back sufferers who get a 'nothing really wrong' diagnosis are frustrated by it But if you know beforehand that this diagnosis from surgeons is very common and that most surgeons are interested only in treating people surgically, you might be relieved instead of frustrated.

Look at it positively. At least you have now ruled out certain known conditions and can either treat yourself or get some initial help from a practitioner who is interested in back problems that don't require surgery. And the vast majority of back problems don't require surgery.

General practitioners

Most general practitioners and junior doctors tend to come up with a catch-all diagnosis - low or muscle spasms - which usually implies treatment with prescription drugs. Low back pain, for example, is normally treated with painkillers by GPs; while muscle spasms are treated with muscle-relaxant pills.

Michelle Spencer

Low back pain is not a pleasant experience, but with the right low back pain treatment you cam get that much needed pain relief relatively quickly, and without resorting to OTC or prescription drugs - you just need to know how.