With 98% of adults experiencing back pain at some point in their life, we wanted to look at possible causes, a range of solutions, and different ways to avoid it.
For some, back pain might be brought about by a specific incident – a tweak when lifting something heavy, bending over the wrong way and feeling a sharp pain….. For others, they might not know what’s brought it on. It might well be that it is a result of repeated innocuous movements which cause 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.
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 movements to avoid and what to do more of, 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.
You can improve your chances of avoiding back pain in the future by keeping your back strong and working on your flexibility and mobility. Movement is vital for your back. Your physio can recommend safe exercises to help with this.
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 back 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” – 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 of your lower back pain, 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.