Table 2 Participant reported coping strategies for managing uncomplicated low back pain

Self-management

Taking medication (10)

Adjusting/changing posture (4)

Exercising/keeping active (9)

Heating/icing (5)

Resting/relaxing (5)

Stretching (2)

"I know that it’s an inflammation management strategy, and I’m dealing with it by rest, ibuprofen, maybe some acetaminophen." (P04)

"I’m trying to stand up as much as possible over the course of the day. He recommended getting more active and walking more, going on bike rides, doing more runs, which I’m slowly creeping back into for my health. " (P13)

"I found a lot of core exercises helped a lot. I have gotten into indoor climbing, which is a purely core exercise, so it’s helped a ton. […] But yea, it’s mainly sports, staying active and lots of core workouts." (P01)

"If I feel pain, usually what I'll do is I'll put heat and lay down, kind of lay down with my knees up, and then that will usually help the acute pain" (P05)

Visiting allied HCP

Visiting a physiotherapist (7)

Visiting a massage therapist (2)

Visiting a chiropractor (2)

Visiting multiple allied HCP (4)

"Because of the injuries I've had I actually see a physiotherapist and massage therapist. They're registered over 3000 h massage therapists. Physiotherapists, I listen to them, but…because they help." (P07)

"[…] for the three or four years prior to COVID, when I was experiencing back pain, my go-to was typically a massage first because my experience with a few chiropractors are deemed to have made it worse. I did have one that helped it quite a bit for quite a while, but typically I’ll do massage first" (P11)

"[…] And like I said, I’ve been to a couple of different places for physio. They were giving me things to do, but it wasn’t making any difference, or it wasn’t helping me with my pain. I think physio helped me a lot after my surgery, but not before. " (P09)

Visiting a doctor

Sought strategies to deal with illness (9)

Sought an explanation for the pain (5)

"I guess I’m looking for hope. Looking for something I can do to make it go away and hoping that the doctor can tell me. Or, if it’s something serious that needs immediate treatment, I guess I’m looking for a doctor to give me some advice about that." (P10)

"Some relief of the pain. What should I be doing to avoid it, and possibly what caused it." (P08)

"I went to see the doctor wanting to know what might be causing it. I was concerned that there might be like an injury or something like that, which there wasn’t, but I wanted to know first what was probably causing it and then what to do from there to reduce it." (P02)

"I think answers, what it was, why it was happening and what I can do about it. " (P01)

Asking for imaging

Asked for imaging (3)

Did not ask for imaging (10)

"Yeah, because I was in a lot of pain and I was like, “I need imaging right away.” ….And I was very persistent that I should get in sooner…. And finally, I was given the option to pay for it or wait. And so I paid for it…. " (P09)

"…. I thought I’d maybe broken a bone, I was hurting so bad. I was at the point where pain typically runs if it’s really bad up to a 9. This was one time where it was hovering at the 9, 10 mark and they’d send me for x-rays and that was when they first said, “Well there’s early signs of arthritis in your one hip but there’s nothing else going on.”" (P11)

"No, I was relatively ignorant to what imaging options were available and how that imaging might influence my treatment. " (P04)

"The doctor brought it up. I didn’t really ask for it. The doctor brought it up and said there would be several months wait for it unless I wanted to pay for it myself. " (P10)

"I never asked for imaging because my physician said it wouldn’t show anything as it was all strained muscle injury." (P12)