"Lower back pain/MSK referral"

Mid September I tried to phone my GP on two occasions to get an MRI but was in a long queue.

I then phoned NHS inform and they suggested I sent a letter to the practice manager at my GP surgery. The practice manager responded reasonably quickly and said that the GPs do not deal with lower back issues and I needed to see the visiting Physiotherapist who is at the GP surgery every Thursday.

The Physio said that they could not refer me for MRI but would assess me.

Firstly they sent me a personalised exercise regime which I tried but the “bridge” wrecked my back, on my first attempt, so I could hardly move for a week.

I then saw the Physio 1:1 and was given a further exercise which again incapacitated me for a week. I now lie on my back rather than sit and I decided to take ibuprofen and rest up.

Now my back is not too bad and I continue to cope by laying flat rather than sitting. I was due a further appointment but phoned the Physio two weeks earlier than the appointment date and asked them to escalate my case to the hub.

I heard nothing so popped in to the surgery as planned on the original appointment date and the Physio informed me that as I had been referred my appointment was cancelled but I should have received a letter.

I received the said letter on the 26th November (written on the 22nd) which basically explained that I was on a waiting list but no detail. According to the literature a lower back problem should self repair in 5-6 weeks. My issue is at least 6 months since occurring.

I asked for an MRI because that will tell everyone what the damage to my spine is. I have endured two bouts of exercise which incapacitated me. Now I am in a further queue to see another Physio who at some stage I suspect will recommend I get an MRI so I will then enter yet another queue.

It would appear that I am being given the run around and I will be waiting months in multiple queues before getting an MRI which will definitively diagnose what is going on with my spine. I am in my late 60s so I expect some issues but this silo approach to medical care is not working. I lived for 12 yrs in France and can tell you their system is so much better. I could see a GP next day. They would refer me straight away with no middle men.

Why can’t a GP refer me?

I have wasted two months and I am no further forward but in those two months I was in severe pain for two of those weeks.

Having explained that my back issue is not going to self repair why does no-one listen to me, the patient. I am an educated person, I can read the literature, this will not go away with a few exercises. Doing those exercises may have caused more damage.

Why not use MRI to see what is wrong before trying to fix the issue?

Why does it take so long to send out an information letter?

Why does the information letter not say approximately when I will be seen?

I have the means to go privately for treatment but my mum was a nurse, my daughter and daughter in law work for the NHS. I believe in the NHS being free at point of care. I can see the NHS being degraded to the point of no return. 

However what I have witnessed is a system where I have been given multiple bureaucratic hurdles to jump through before I get what I needed in the first place, which was an MRI followed by a decision on treatment, likely surgery.