Who is behind this.
And why.
rugpijnwatnu.nl is an independent information point about back pain. No clinic, no insurer, no advertising: only what the guidelines and the research actually say, kept up to date by a fixed procedure rather than by opinion.
Who maintains this
This site is maintained by Joris Boer.
I am not a clinician, and not a back expert.
I am not a doctor or physiotherapist, I treat nobody and I diagnose nobody, and I knew little about back pain myself when I started. That is exactly why this site does not rest on my judgement: what is written here comes from guidelines and systematic reviews, and the source is always next to it.
How the content is checked
Every medical claim on this site is rechecked periodically by a fixed, automated procedure. It starts with the research itself: finding new studies and systematic reviews, and judging per claim how strong the evidence is and how large the effect actually is. A treatment that "works" without a number next to it does not make it onto this site. If a number no longer holds, or an effect turns out smaller than stated, the text is adjusted or the claim goes.
Guidelines run along in that check, but they are not the final word. The Dutch NHG and KNGF guidelines, NICE NG59 and the WHO guideline are checked for new versions every time, because they largely determine which care you are offered here. At the same time, several of them are written by professional bodies that also represent their own trade, and they regularly disagree with each other. Where that happens we do not pick a side but explain the difference, and where a guideline diverges from what the research shows, that is stated too.
What the check turns up decides what changes here, not what I happen to believe. If the evidence is weak or contradictory, that is simply stated. The date of the most recent check is at the bottom of this page.
Why this site exists
The science on back pain has shifted considerably over the past decade: back pain is rarely a broken back, and it usually settles by itself as long as you keep moving. You notice little of that when you go looking in Dutch, where you mostly end up with clinics selling a treatment and leaflets that get no further than "lift with your legs". Far more people can be helped by handling scientifically grounded information objectively, and by adjusting it as soon as stronger evidence points elsewhere.
What you should walk away with
That you understand what is happening in your back and why it is usually less alarming than it feels. That you know what you can do today. And that you recognise the moments when you really should see a doctor. Not more care than needed, and not less than is sensible.
What we deliberately do not do
No advertising, no sponsored content and no affiliate income. No affiliated practices and no payment for referrals: if we point you to a care provider, it is through a public register we earn nothing from. No treatment and no diagnosis. No tracking cookies and no selling of data. So nobody here has an interest in you clicking through, and if the evidence for a treatment is weak, we can simply say so.
What is not here yet
This site has not been medically reviewed: no doctor or physiotherapist has checked the content. Whether the sources still hold is guarded automatically, but whether the translation into plain language works out clinically is something only a healthcare professional can judge. That is the right next step for this site. Until it is taken, the limitation is written down here rather than left out.
BIG-registered and willing to read along, or spotted something that is wrong? Mail redactie@rugpijnwatnu.nl.
Read the medical disclaimer for what this site can and cannot do, and the privacy policy for how we handle your data.