Back Pain

Have a look at our 6 week on line back course, which can be used along side our Physiotherapy treatments. https://tavistockphysio.teachable.com/p/back-pain-masterclass

Back pain is very common and can vary from a slight twinge to severe pain. It is the largest cause of work-related absence in the UK and can affect people of all ages and backgrounds.

Back pain may seem to occur for no obvious reason. It may come on gradually or very suddenly. It has a wide variety of causes, from picking up a heavy parcel incorrectly to spending too long in one position, particularly if you are bending over or twisting during these actions.

Common symptoms include; pain, numbness, weakness or tingling sensations in the legs (often called sciatica). It can also be a cause of seemingly unrelated pain, such as knee and Hip pain.

Feeling very anxious or stressed can make your pain worse. It is rarely due to a serious health problem.

However should you become aware of any changes to your bladder or bowel function while suffering from an episode of low back pain, you should go straight to your local Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) as this could indicate a more severe problem.

Most people recover quickly from their back pain, if it is managed properly.

How can we help you manage your back pain?

 Online 6 week back care coaching course https://tavistockphysio.teachable.com/p/back-pain-masterclass

Physiotherapy can be extremely beneficial for someone suffering with back pain. One of our specialist physiotherapits will firstly assess and examine you. This will allow them to identify the cause of your pain. Our aim is then to reduce your pain and stiffness, provide you with a rehab plan to increase your core stability and flexibility, and give advice to help prevent re-occurrence.

Your treatment plan will be based on the findings of your assessment and address your concerns. It will typically consist of a combination of hands-on therapy, acupuncture, exercises, as well as ergonomic and postural advice.

Once we have your pain managed, we are firm believers in the benefits of controlled exercise to help getting you moving and strengthening your core muscles.

To assist you with this, we have our own Pilates Studio, based at our Lamerton clinic, where we offer a wide range of Physio Led Pilates exercise classes and one to one sessions. Many of them are suitable for clients wanting to enhance their recovery from back and neck pain and help prevent recurrence. Click here for information about our Physio Led Pilates.

In addition to this, we can plan a structured rehabilitation program, working with our fully qualified personal trainer, in our purpose built health and rehab Gym. The aim of our rehabilitation programme is to re-educate movement and increase your strength and condition, to help prevent re-occurrence and potentially even get you to a level of fitness greater than before.

When your recovery has progressed sufficiently, you can choose to have additional personal training, tailored to your specific goals, whatever they may be.

Regular massage can also aid in preventing re-occurrence of back pain, by reducing muscle tension, improving flexibility and relieving any painful and overactive areas.

What types of treatment are available?

As all our clients are unique, the treatment they receive is also unique to them and their condition. Below are some of the more common treatment modalities that we use at our clinic, frequently combined in various ways, depending on the requirements of each individual case.

• Mobilisation of the spinal joints. including Maitland and Mulligan
• In some cases, careful manipulation of these joints may be appropriate.
• McKenzie treatment methods.
• Muscle energy release technique.
• Postural advice and ergonomic advice.
• Rehabilitation strengthening of ‘core’ muscles.
• Acupuncture or ultra-sound for pain relief.
• Specific soft tissue massage.
• Myofascial soft tissue release.
• Kinesio taping.
• Physio led pilates.
• Massage.