The main topic that was examined in this thesis was the partial medicalization of chronic back pain. Chronic back pain is becoming increasingly more common and in many cases it is a life-changing condition. Both traditional biomedical treatments and Contemporary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) can be used to treat lower chronic back pain, and there are both positive and negative aspects to both treatments, which have been noted in the literature review. However, the literature review has highlighted a gap in the literature, which the thesis seeks to address: the ways in which medicalization is only partially accomplished for some conditions, which are subjectively experienced, such as chronic back pain.
Although much of the literature on medicalization gives medicalization a negative connotation, it is sometimes necessary, and in fact is a vital part of the patient's experience in order to receive appropriate care. This study will explore what happens if the patient's chronic back pain is medicalized, partially medicalized, or not medicalized.
This study had two sets of findings. The first sets of findings are on the subject of biomedicine. The first finding is that patients are dissatisfied with the biomedical approach that leaves them over medicated, drug dependent or under the knife. Another finding is that when physicians are unable to make the patient better, the patient is accused of malingering, drug seeking or as having a mental/psychological issue. Additionally, medical treatment is only offered if there is a physical measure that justifies the pain.
The second set are on the subject of CAM. The first finding is that there is major problem: there is not as much consistency in CAM treatments as there is in biomedical treatments which may actually reduce the faith that people have in CAM. The second finding is that there is at least some distrust of CAM practitioners in both patients and physicians alike. Additionally, as a result of the partial medicalization of CAM, patients have to seek out and experiment with treatment on their own. As a result, patients are not getting their pain needs met in part because the two areas of treatment (biomedicine and CAM) don't work in unison. All of these findings support the conclusion that chronic back pain is not fully medicalized. There is not a specialty that is stepping up to take over treatment other than surgery and when surgery isn't indicated, the patient is on his or her own.