The Cult of BACK PAIN

Membership in this highly undesirable club comes with its own lingo, syllabus, and gurus and now its very own antihero.

- DANIELLE STEIN CHIZZIK

Late last year, after details began to emerge about Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, public reactions were nearly as unpredictable as the murder itself. There were those consumed by Mangione's swarthy good looks and strong jawline. There were the many who took his horrific action as an opportunity to draw attention to a lacking healthcare system. And there was a surprisingly large minority who hailed him as a kind of folk hero.

But there was one group of people who, though largely overlooked in the ensuing media frenzy and late night TV jokes, had perhaps the most noteworthy response: those who know back pain. In Facebook groups and on Reddit boards, fellow sufferers almost uniformly expressed a "There but for the grace of God go I" level of empathy. "People just do not realize that it can drive you insane and ruin your life," read one typical comment on a Reddit board titled "I feel for Luigi Mangione." "It goes without saying that murder is always wrong. But I also know what torture it is to live with [this pain]" declared a column in the Daily Mail.

Speculation about Mangione's specific condition was rampant everywhere from message boards to chiropractic waiting rooms. T&C's own weekly editorial meeting veered into irresistible speculation: Who was his doctor? Was he misdiagnosed? Was his surgery botched? Did he try PT? Cupping? Steroid injections? Has he read Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill? What about-and this launched a whole corollary discussion about the most famous name in back pain-Sarno?