Coping with back pain can be challenging and debilitating at times. It can bring about worries to many aspects of your life. Concerns such as causing further damage to your back, being able to support loved ones and financial implications. Often having a better understanding of your back pain can reduce worry, stress and compromising beliefs towards how you tackle and live with your back pain.
A positive belief is the best relief
Did you know 1 in 10 people throughout their lifetime will suffer with 1 or more episode of lower back pain. This means you are not alone and many people around you will be able to relate to the challenges you are facing.
The spine is strong! Super strong in fact! And whilst as little as 2% of cases need a referral for scans or further intervention, most lower back pain cases will settle within 4-6 weeks and continue to live a normal life.
It is important you keep moving. It was once believed rest and lying in bed all day was the best way to help back pain. Research now suggests the complete opposite. It’s important you move to supply muscles with blood, oxygen and nutrients and most importantly to get your endorphins flowing! Exercises can be minimalistic but specific. This is the job of your physiotherapist or osteopath to tailor a specific regime which works for you.
Getting strong will build resilience. The statement ‘I have a weak core’ is a commonly used phrase. Well here is some good news. It’s not necessarily about how strong your core is but how well you can activate the core muscles. Once you can achieve this it takes a lot of the stress and strain away from the lower back. Obviously working on core strength isn’t frowned upon, but let’s take things one step at a time.
Physiotherapy + Osteopathy
25% of the patients a physio/osteo see’s will be experiencing lower back pain. So, it is fair to say we are experts when treating lower back pain! It is strongly advised to seek help from a physiotherapist or osteopath if you are struggling day to day to manage your pain. Suffering with low back pain is not a jail sentence, it’s your body’s way of telling you to be proactive and move!
What would a physio/osteo session look like?
We would ask you lots of questions to establish how the lower back pain came about. Did you know, 83% of diagnosis’s are made through asking questions! That’s why it is important to provide as much information as possible on the initial assessment.
From here we will assess how you are moving, how your muscles and joints are behaving and apply hands on treatment. Finally, your therapist will prescribe exercises specific to your back pain.
Control your back pain, don’t let it control you
Learning coping mechanisms and strategies to ease your symptoms is your first step to a pain free life. It’s key to know what to do when your pain is particularly bad. Finding a strategy which works for you allows you to remain calm and tackle things head on.
Here are a few suggestions to help;
– Heat/ice
– Stretches/ Exercises
– Painkillers prescribed by your GP or over the counter
– Regular movements (getting up every 15-20 minutes to move your whole body)
– 3 deep breaths (After 3 your body naturally releases natural painkillers- we really are amazing!)
Check out our 5 * reviews on google to read how the right hands on treatment helped hundreds of patients that booked in for a session here at the Back and Body Clinic… why not call and see one of our experts today!! We know what it takes to get you better, quicker!!
written by Rachael Barber, Physiotherapist at The Back and Body Clinic.
