• Charles Sturt research conducted into TikTok videos as a source of medical information
• University academics decipher pros and cons of TikTok videos showing lower back pain treatments
• Researchers find that TikTok could be a useful medical tool, if used by mainstream health providers

Move over Doctor Google, there’s a new online diagnostician in town.

A Charles Sturt University academic is part of a team investigating the pros and cons of TikTok videos that have surfaced online that use 30-second videos with snippets of music, emojis and dance moves to give advice on how to treat lower back pain.

Lecturer in Health Services Management in the Charles Sturt School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences in Bathurst Dr Andrey Zheluk analysed 200 of the most popular videos under the hashtag #backpain on TikTok between April 2020 and September 2021.

Dr Zheluk wrote his PhD on unusual digital data sources to answer difficult population scale health questions. This research was an extension of the PhD and was done in collaboration with Associate Professor Judith Anderson and Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin, both with Charles Sturt’s School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Services.

TikTok’s use has grown over the past couple of years, particularly in the age group of 12 to 24 years. The study focuses on lower back pain and how TikTok and its users share information, treatments and remedies for it via the social media platform.

Dr Zheluk said the biggest concern with getting medical advice from TikTok was that follow-ups with general practitioners were rarely encouraged.

“We suggest there is little danger in using TikTok to get information about back pain,” he said.

“The only possible danger is that the creators of the TikTok videos do not actively encourage TikTok users to visit a GP if their pain persists. The videos analysed rarely suggested taking this kind of precautionary action.”

Of the most popular videos analysed, 46 per cent were created by chiropractors 22 per cent by fitness professionals, 3 per cent by physicians and 3 per cent by physiotherapists.

Videos were analysed based on how often they were viewed, shared, how long they were, when they were published, the identity of the creators, what the videos described and how closely the advice given aligned with mainstream medical advice about managing back pain.

It was found that the messages reaching TikTok users did not generally reflect mainstream medical advice and that TikTok was being used for alternative health providers, such as US-based chiropractors, for non-scientific marketing messages.

Findings also showed that TikTok was not being used by mainstream health providers, such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists.

“We suggest that there is a real opportunity for doctors, nurses and other mainstream health providers to speak directly to young people through TikTok,” Dr Zheluk said.

“Once seasoned internet users get past that initial aesthetic shock, the real possibilities of what can be achieved by TikTok video creators in 20 or 30 seconds become clearer.

“TikTok really is an exciting medium and offers real opportunities to reach large numbers of young people.”

Dr Zheluk is currently working on a research paper about how anxiety is discussed among young people on TikTok.

“Anxiety among young people emerged as a real issue during COVID-19,” he said.

“Our preliminary findings are particularly interesting in understanding how young people are discussing anxiety online in 2022.”