Human Behavior: The Influence of Perceptions on Neuromuscular Problem Solving

Abstract

If physicians were forced to respond to all of the neuromuscular symptoms in the general population, the task would be overwhelming. As an example, headaches with neuromuscular and anatomic manifestations afflict some 25 million people daily in the United States, yet in any given year, only 2.5 million (10 percent) will resort to physicians’ services for relief. The thought of having the other 90 percent show up in our offices gives me a headache. Although I have not seen similar data on low back problems, it would not be hard to believe that similar patterns exist. Yet, most of the clinical and behavioral research tends to focus on the available 10 percent — what about all those others? How do they cope? Apparently, most manage quite well.