How does back pain occur?
Back pain can be caused by injury or bad postural habits. Back pain is something that many people experience at some stage during their life. It brings with it stress and interruption to our work and social life.
Fortunately, serious or permanent damage is relatively uncommon. Your spine is an extremely strong structure made up of small bones (vertebrae) which are connected by discs and ligaments which make it strong, flexible and shock absorbent. It is reinforced by strong supportive muscles. All these structures have numerous nerve endings. If they are under stress or injured they will let you know!
Most back injuries do not cause any lasting damage. The pain experienced is your body telling you to do something about it!
How can Physiotherapy help?
Our Physios will carry out a full assessment to determine the cause and develop an individually tailored rehabilitation programme to suit your exacting needs.
We offer comprehensive treatment of acute and chronic conditions using both a hands-on approach and core-stability retraining. We will offer advice to enable you to manage your back in the long term and therefore reduce the risk of recurrence of pain and time off work. The better you are informed the more likely you will recover and be able to prevent re- occurrence of your injury.
To bring relief of pain we may utilise some of the following;
Team Approach
At The Physiotherapy And Injury Centre we believe in referring our patients on quickly when they present with problems that require a specialist opinion. Chartered physiotherapists regularly work in co-operation with GP’s and consultants. We will advise you when a medical specialist opinion is appropriate. With your permission our Physios will happily communicate with suitable medical professionals regarding your treatment and diagnosis E.g. GP’s, orthopaedic/ rheumatology consultants.
This team approach to spinal problems has given us a wealth of experience in the treatment of acute / chronic injuries and pre and post-operative spinal conditions.
Back Muscle Strains
Muscle strains are a frequent source of back pain and the most common is a lower back muscle strain that causes pain in the lower back. Differentiating between a strain(Muscle) and a sprain (Ligament) can be difficult as both injuries show similar symptoms.
What causes Back Muscle Sprains and Strains?
Strains and sprains can be the result of strenuous activity like lifting a heavy object in an incorrect manner by bending the back rather than the knees, sharp sudden twisting movements, or even due to standing for long periods of time.
The spine is held upright by muscles and ligaments and the over-stretching or tearing of these muscles can occur if the muscle suddenly contracts or is stretched too far. When a back strain or sprain occurs, there is inflammation of the soft tissue which causes pain and possibly back spasms. Back strains and sprains can also be caused by poor posture, poor muscle tone in the back and abdomen, emotional stress or excessive weight or pregnancy.
What are the Symptoms of back muscle sprains and strains?
People with a muscle sprain or strain frequently feel a tear or even a pop as the injury takes place but not always. The main symptom is pain that can appear either side of the back or in the upper buttocks and can get worse with muscle spasms as they occur. This type of pain does not usually go down into the legs.