Are thousands languishing on long-term sick leave because it's now virtually impossible to get treatment for a bad back?

A 62-year-old income adjunct stuck connected a two-year waiting database pinch symptom truthful terrible 'it sometimes takes my activity away'. The mates successful their 70s some hardly capable to walk, reliant connected powerful codeine narcotics and battling depression. And nan businesswoman struggling pinch 'irreversible' spine harm aft being fobbed disconnected pinch physiotherapy erstwhile what she needed was scans and medication.

These are conscionable a fewer of nan harrowing stories from Mail connected Sunday readers pinch backmost problems that person been truthful poorly treated connected nan NHS that they're incapable to transportation connected pinch their regular lives. Despite nan severity of their conditions, they declare to person been 'fobbed off' and 'forgotten about' by medics.

Their frustration, anger and desperation item nan abject failures successful nan NHS coming successful dealing pinch galore chronic illnesses, experts person claimed. This period caller figures revealed that location are a grounds 2.8 cardinal Britons connected semipermanent sick time off – pinch astir half signed disconnected for intelligence wellness problems. In response, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced arguable plans to portion GPs of their powerfulness to motion group disconnected work, claiming that it was clip to beryllium 'more honorable astir nan consequence of over-medicalising nan mundane challenges and worries of life'.

However, location are almost 3 cardinal group successful nan UK pinch backmost and cervix pain, pinch astir a cardinal of those incapable to work, according to nan Office for National Statistics. Numbers of sufferers are increasing, exacerbated by rising obesity levels and much group moving from inadequate make-shift offices astatine home.

Medical leaders warned that location were thousands stuck connected waiting lists and that galore had been forced to discontinue activity and developed slump arsenic a result. The use measure for group pinch backmost problems unsocial has tripled successful 2 decades to £1.4 cardinal a twelvemonth and is up by much than a 4th compared pinch earlier nan pandemic, according to figures.

The situation is truthful terrible that A&E departments are regularly seeing patients pinch backmost aliases cervix symptom because they had nary different option, said Ishmael Beckford, nan chair of assembly astatine nan Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

And successful her regular file past weekend, The Mail connected Sunday's resident GP, Dr Ellie Cannon, based on that galore of these cases of group disconnected activity pinch backmost symptom were avoidable. She said that it was often easy dealt with, but that physiotherapy often wasn't disposable and patients were 'fobbed disconnected pinch telephone appointments and leaflets'.

Dr Cannon asked if immoderate of her readers had suffered akin experiences – and we were inundated pinch emails and letters.

One 75-year-old said his backmost problem began successful 2019 erstwhile removing a plot fence, and had precocious hopes erstwhile referred to a physiotherapist. 'This turned retired to beryllium a question-and-answer convention only. I was fixed a expanse of exercises which were mostly intolerable because it meant getting up and down from nan floor.

'After Covid, I contacted my GP again, who gave maine a telephone appointment, different referral to a physiotherapist who gave maine much machine printouts. I deliberation NHS argumentation is: if you person backmost pain, Google it.'

Another scholar successful his 70s who has suffered from backmost symptom for respective years says that physiotherapy 'is a discarded of time', adding: 'All I get is simply a expanse of insubstantial pinch exercises on. I've mislaid weight but person had to extremity playing play because of nan pain. I get depressed not being capable to do anything.' He says his 77-year-old woman had an cognition six years agone for compressed spinal nerves – to nary avail. 'It helped her hep symptom but nary 1 seems to attraction astir her back. She tin only locomotion 50 yards earlier nan symptom stops her, truthful she's taking paracetamol and codeine tablets each day. Going backstage seems nan only solution but I interest if we tin spend it.'

Debra Fitzgerald, 62, knows what it is for illustration surviving pinch backmost symptom and nan vexation of waiting for appointments while trying to juggle a job. Debra, who regularly attended Zumba classes until her information forced her to discontinue successful 2022, said: 'My GP promised to mention maine to a section backmost symptom clinic, but 7 months later I still hadn't been fixed an appointment. During that clip nan symptom sewage overmuch worse.'

The erstwhile policewoman, who now useful for Marks & Spencer, added: 'I rang up nan session and it turns retired I wasn't moreover connected nan waiting list. I was told I'd person to hold different 18 months to beryllium seen. Sometimes I would aftermath up pinch a crisp symptom successful nan little backmost that was truthful bad it took my activity away. It was truthful achy astatine activity I couldn't moreover assistance a tin of soup, and I was ever apologising to colleagues. After different twelvemonth without immoderate NHS treatment, I managed to get 8 sessions of backstage physiotherapy which were covered by my employer's occupational wellness department.

'Thankfully, nan sessions person helped alleviate immoderate of nan symptom and I'm slow starting to get my life back. But I americium still shocked astatine really bad nan NHS work is for backmost pain.'

Charity The Health Foundation has revealed that 3.7 cardinal group of moving property plough connected pinch their jobs contempt having a 'work-limiting' condition. This intends they are restricted successful nan magnitude and type of activity they tin do.

Hertfordshire GP Dr Mike Smith says that backmost symptom is 1 of nan astir communal reasons for patients visiting their doctor, yet agreed that those needing master thief are stuck successful a log jam. It is estimated that 7.6 cardinal group are waiting for infirmary curen of each kinds.

'Treating backmost symptom isn't done correct crossed nan NHS,' he says. 'It has specified an effect connected nan workforce but each portion of nan pathway to curen is clogged up. Waiting clip successful nan NHS to spot a master is nan worst successful 25 years.'

Professor Frances Williams, a chronic symptom master astatine King's College London, agrees: 'The NHS could beryllium doing a batch amended astatine this. Patients should beryllium seen by backmost symptom specialists who tin spot a uncommon information – specified arsenic inflammatory spine conditions. If caught early we tin connection medicine and extremity things worsening, but without treatment, problems tin go intractable.'

Chronic symptom master Professor Tamar Pincus, from Royal Holloway University, says that spinal room should beryllium a past edifice aft physiotherapy has grounded to help. 'The truth is, operations don't thief successful galore cases and location tin beryllium complications that make things worse.'

She believes that amitriptyline, an antidepressant besides fixed for symptom relief, is besides over-prescribed for backmost symptom issues. 'There is small grounds that it useful and it slows you down and makes it harder to sleep, which makes returning to activity difficult.'

Dr Smith's believe successful Knebworth has 2 resident physiotherapists that patients nether 50 tin self-refer to without seeing a expert first. Those complete 50 are seen by a GP initially arsenic backmost symptom successful older property groups tin sometimes beryllium a denotation of a much superior illness.

Previously GPs had to mention patients to abstracted physiotherapy clinics aliases infirmary services. However first interaction physiotherapy, arsenic nan caller work is known, is only offered by 1 successful 10 practices astatine present. As it is taken up by much GP surgeries, it will 'declog nan strategy truthful that those who really request to spot a infirmary master are much apt to get that arsenic there'll beryllium less group being referred unnecessarily,' says Dr Smith. 'Our patients are genuinely getting a amended and quicker work pinch first interaction physios.'

Ishmael Beckford, from The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said earlier this twelvemonth that nan fig of almost 1 cardinal group signed disconnected semipermanent sick pinch backmost aliases cervix symptom was 'alarming', adding: 'We tin spot nan effect untreated backmost symptom is having connected patients, nan NHS and nan wider system pinch truthful galore now retired of work.

'We urgently request much physiotherapy unit successful nan NHS and beyond.'

For Tim Davies, 59, this will travel arsenic small comfort. The keen golfer from Kent first began suffering from 'extreme' backmost symptom successful February.

'I managed to get an assignment pinch an NHS physiotherapist who advised I get an urgent MRI scan,' he says. 'However, erstwhile I arrived astatine A&E, I was told I couldn't person a scan and that I should conscionable return painkillers.'

Tim decided to get a 2nd sentiment from a backstage expert and a backstage MRI scan.

'Within 2 hours of nan scan, nan expert rang and told maine to spell backmost to A&E instantly because I had a slipped disc which was pressing connected a spinal nervus which could beryllium serious.

'Once again, I returned to A&E wherever they promised to investigate. However, 4 hours later I was told to spell location arsenic I was going to beryllium referred to different hospital. I've now been told this referral could return different 12 weeks.

'I americium still successful symptom and I'm worried that, without treatment, nan problem could get worse. Why won't nan NHS thief me?'