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Matt Buckley, South Notts Physio

BACK PAIN

Back pain is an extremely common & extremely complex issue!

It is estimated that 1in 3 adults will suffer with back pain each year. Approximately 43% of people in the UK suffer with chronic back pain. For information on acute vs chronic pain see here!)

These are crazy statistics! and yet given the prevalence of back pain we still know remarkably little concrete information about back pain!

We know a few things...

The majority of cases of back pain settle with 4 weeks.

Surgery is very rarely indicated for back pain alone.

Back pain with leg pain responds better to surgery but again is rarely needed!

A professional telling you by looking at you from the outside exactly what is wrong with your back is often speculative and rarely accurate!

Posture is often mistakingly blamed for back pain

Postural asymmetry is also often mistakingly blamed for back pain - you do not need perfect 'alignment' to be free from pain!

Bending is not inherently bad for your back!

Lifting is not inherently bad for your back!

We do love a good Myth-Bust!

Back pain is complex, and like everything else we encounter is extremely personal. Your back has a very high supply of microscopic nerve endings that are there to detect danger. These nerve endings are creatures of routine; they know what is normal for you and don't like things out of the ordinary. Much like all of our other body parts, backs don't like change.

If you do a manual job, have an active lifestyle, garden, keep fit, lift weights & are in good shape, your back will be well-conditioned to handling all sorts of things.

If you're largely sedentary, rarely challenge yourself physically and then go and lift something heavy once, your back may not like it. It's linked to conditioning! We can't say, everybody keep your back straight, lift with your legs and your back will be fine... because we're all different!

If you've had an acute episode of back pain we can expect a few things...

Your muscles will likely tighten up

Your movement will feel restricted

You will feel more restricted after periods of immobility but should see improvements with movement.

Walking can be very useful.

X-Rays / MRI scans at this stage are RARELY CLINICALLY RELEVANT!

There is NO quick fix!

Get an assessment, start moving, gradually build back up, give your body some time and you'll typically do pretty well.

If you've had back pain for more than 6 months, things may be a little different. You're likely to be 'hyper-sensitive' to movement - meaning your internal alarm can trigger when you're not doing much at all. You're likely to have become de-conditioned as your activity levels of dropped. You may be moving differently and not even realise it. And again.. There's no quick fix!

Get an assessment, identify areas your struggling with and get moving again!

Severity of pain is rarely linked to structural damage with back pain! Move regularly, listen to your body, seek support where necessary and don't listen if you're offered a cure...!

Matt

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