Abstract

The healthy debate surrounding the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain, particularly back pain, and the advantages and disadvantages of current evidence-based practice continues. It is through just such debates over topical issues in health that the practice of medicine evolves. It appears, however, that one perspective remains very much in the background of the debate over the treatment of and research into chronic musculoskeletal pain. This is the perspective of the discourse analyst, or social deconstructionist. The purpose of this paper is to use these theoretical standpoints as a context within which to analyse critically the current nature of musculoskeletal research.