Dr Paul Taylor from the Neurospine Institute

Medical Forum’s Clinical Editor, Dr Joe Kosterich, met with spinal surgeon Dr Paul Taylor from the Neurospine Institute to discuss the impact and prevalence of back pain in Australia. “Back pain is very common - almost everybody at some point in their life will have some low back pain - something like 97% of humanity experiences back pain at some point in their life. And it's the greatest source of lost time to work of any other illnesses and injuries,” Dr Taylor said. “And having been a patient with a lumbar spine, disc prolapse, and a cervical spine disc prolapse, I can tell you that neural compression pain is horrible. Regardless of what medication you take, you just can't get away from it. It feels terribly dramatic for the patient, and understandably so.  “But there is a bit of difference between a bit of tingling and numbness in a foot or leg, to having a foot that doesn't work. And after a couple of years of running NSI, we realised that several acute disc prolapses, typically in the neck and lumbar spine, were still only being seen in the usual course of referrals, even in private.” ------------ This podcast is exclusively for Australian medical practitioners. The content discussed is not appropriate for non-medical professionals. Please listen to our disclaimer provided at the end of the episode. The information in this podcast is intended to be general information only and is no way intended to be medical advice, treatment or diagnoses. You acknowledge and agree that nothing in this product may be taken to be medical advice, treatment or a diagnosis by us or our podcast guests, nor are we or they intended to be a substitute for consulting a medical practitioner for your particular circumstances and needs. We do not accept any liability for injury, loss or damage incurred by the use of or reliance on the information provided in this podcast. This podcast may include the views or recommendations of third parties and does not necessarily reflect the views of Medical Forum - we assume no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information. If you require immediate medical attention, please contact 000 immediately or seek alternative and appropriate medical services.