Back Pain

Around 80% of people will experience back pain at some stage in their life. For some, chronic back pain can have a detrimental effect on lifestyle. Back pain can often affect a person’s ability to perform even the most simple daily tasks.

Numerous structures in the back can cause pain; muscles, nerves, ligaments, discs and bone could all contribute to back pain, which is often experienced as a deep aching feeling in the lower back and is commonly exaggerated by movement or maintaining the same position for a prolonged period.

At Philip Wood Physiotherapy we strive to diagnose your injury, control your pain and facilitate a return to normal function as soon as is possible.

What causes back pain?

• Muscle strain: A muscle strain can result from poor posture or lifting excessive loads, causing muscle fatigue and back pain.
• Poor posture: Poor posture can put unnecessary load on the various structures of the spine and result in back pain over time.
• Disc bulge: Discs act like shock absorbers to reduce stress on your spine and are situated between your bony vertebrae. Disc injuries are common. They can occur due to sudden movements or from long term postural stress, causing inflammation and pain, and in extreme cases can irritate nearby spinal nerves. This can cause radiating leg pain, pins and needles, and numbness (often mistakenly diagnosed as Sciatica).
• Facet joint sprain: Each of your vertebrae are connected to the one above and below by two joints called facet joints which can be sprained, just like your ankle, if you move in an awkward way. As with a sprained ankle, if the facet joints become inflamed, you will experience back pain and limitation in movements.
• Sciatica: The sciatic nerve runs from your lower back, down the back of your thigh and calf and into your foot. If compressed, the sciatic nerve can cause lower back pain which may radiate to the leg or buttock. It can also cause pins and needles, numbness, muscle spasms, reduced flexibility and weakness.

How can physiotherapy help?

Physiotherapy for back pain is twofold; addressing existing pain and spasm and then working toward prevention of further pain.

Our physiotherapists will first take a full history to uncover contributing factors and understand movement patterns, and then review any available imaging. This will be followed by a thorough hands on assessment to assess joints, muscles and other soft tissues.

Depending on the nature of the back pain (acute or chronic), a customised plan may include mobilisation of related joints, massage and exercises focussed on strength and stability. In some cases, strapping may be recommended. In all cases, a home program of exercises will be prescribed to aid in prevention and strategies for self directed symptom management will be discussed.