The bark of low back pain is usually much worse than its bite. The pain almost always makes it seem worse than it is.
MRI and x-ray for low back pain are surprisingly unreliable,1 because things like bulging discs aren’t actually that big a deal,2 most back pain goes away on its own,3 and trigger points (“muscle knots”) are common and can be alarmingly intense but aren’t dangerous.4 Most patients are much better off when they feel confident about these things; the power of justified, rational confidence is a huge factor in back pain.5 Sadly, many healthcare professionals continue to perpetuate the idea of fragile backs.6