Does an X-Ray deteriorate medical quality? (Pt.1)

Let’s keep watching where we left last time.

Doctor “Well, your X-ray was totally fine.”
You “Oh, I see.”
Doctor “Im going to prescribe the painkiller and the pap. Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns.”
You “Doctor, what caused this pain?”
Doctor “I can’t say anything clearly without the further exams, but I guess you have an acute low back pain. Why don’t you take the painkiller?”
You “Oh…okay.”

Your consultation has been done just within a few minutes. The doctor didn’t even touch your body.
Well, as you’ve already noticed, here are some concerns.

1. No physical examination

The doctor mentioned that you’ll need further examinations such as MRI, and that is totally correct. However, before moving on to the next step, one important examination is highly needed; a physical exam.
For instance, if you have back pain, the painful spot would roughly tell you what’s going on. Even “no painful spot” tells us the significant clue. 
So, just like other examinations, exploration is an important EXAMINATION.

2.  Prescriptions without diagnosing 

You‘re diagnosed with acute low back pain. But for the optimal treatment, this is not enough. An acute low back pain is just a condition that you suddenly have back pain, and a lot of possibilities are included. If your pain is caused by the surface muscle inflammation, painkillers such as ibuprofen would work well. On the other hand, if you have a different condition (disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis etc.), you generally need another medicine and physical therapy. That is, your treatment obviously changes depending on what symptoms you have. 
Besides, you always need to know why you should take that medication. Painkillers such as ibuprofen suppress inflammation, so it works well when you have muscle pain.  But if you don't know the exact reason why you're prescribed that medicine, ibuprofen is just a "painkiller" and you might wonder "Should I take it everyday or just when I feel a pain?", "How long should I take it?", "Is this a primary or symptomatic treatment?", etc. Without enough explanation, you wouldn't feel like taking a pill and that eventually leads to prolongation of treatment period and causes chronic pain.