Back pain is the most common condition we see at Essex Physio. Most people self-refer but we also see referrals from GP’s, Spinal Consultants and Neurosurgeons. All our back pain patients receive skilled and thoughtful treatment. Back pain can be felt from top to bottom, of your spine, sometimes in several places and can be on one side or right across the spine it even changes sides sometimes. It might have come on suddenly, and you know the cause, be a slow burn problem which has gradually got worse over the last few weeks/months or an old ‘friend’ which rears its ugly head from time to time.
Back pain can be due to many individual factors and sometimes more than one, for example damage to the structures of the spine (disc injuries, facet joint irritation, wear and tear changes), posture, obesity, trauma or simply the life it has led. One thing is certain, it can interfere in everything we do.
Spinal discs act as shock absorbers and allow increased mobility throughout our spine. Damage to the discs can be painful and long-lasting unless we take part in specific, structured rehabilitation.
The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in our body. It travels through muscles, in tight, bony tunnels and must be able to slide and glide as we move. If it gets pinched or irritated, we can feel variable symptoms such as tingling, numbness or weakness anywhere from our lower back to our feet. Nerve irritation can be influenced by co-existing problems such as disc or facet joint injuries, spinal stenosis/degeneration, tightness in the piriformis or inflammation.
At Essex Physiotherapy, your therapist will carry out a thorough assessment, looking at the movements and activities you can do, anything you can’t do and deciding if further investigation such as an x-ray, blood tests or a scan is needed. Although back pain can feel quite scary, most back symptoms settle readily if dealt with correctly. A combination of exercise therapy, manual therapy and pain relief often proves helpful. Combined with education on what’s happening and why, things can often improve quickly. Mindset coaching can also make a huge difference to overcoming fear and limiting beliefs that hold back our recovery.
