With 98% of adults experiencing lower back pain at some point in their life, let’s look at possible causes, a range of solutions, and different ways to avoid it.
Possible causes: For some, back pain might be brought about by a specific incident – a tweak when lifting, bending over the wrong way and feeling a sharp pain….. For others, they might not know what’s brought it on. It might be that it is a result of repeated innocuous movements causing wear and tear. Bad posture, bending down to clear toys, picking up a child / dog / shopping. Footwear, gait, lower limb problems and your core can all affect the lumbar spine.
What to do: If you find yourself with back pain, whether you know the cause or not, you need to get a diagnosis quickly. There are lots of structures in the lower back which can lead to your pain. Once your practitioner has identified what’s wrong, you can get advice on what to do and not do, to reduce the pain.
Pain killers and anti-inflammatories can work well to dampen down the pain while you work on getting movement back – just be careful to not rely on them too much.
Movement is vital for your back. You can improve your chances of avoiding back pain by keeping your back strong, flexible and mobile. Your physio can recommend safe exercises to help with this.
Other causes: Orthotics might help if your gait or footwear is causing the issue. Treating a knee problem might ease your back pain, by again improving your gait and load bearing habits. The same goes with your hips if it’s that area causing the pain.
Apos® is something else which might help. The treatment works by reducing and redistributing the load on the painful area while improving function and mobility. Using a foot-worn device for about one hour a day, Apos® introduces “controlled micro-instability”. This is an innovative way to re-educate your muscles to self-correct your body’s alignment. The device can be worn during your normal activities at home or at work. It’s non-invasive, medicine-free, and easy to comply with.
Once we can analyse the cause, we can rectify it and help you understand the issue to avoid it in the future.
Book in for an assessment online, or call us on 0161 832 9000.