Back Pain - Feel Better Osteopathy

Back pain, in particular lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek osteopathic treatment at our Warwick clinic. This is unsurprising, given that up to 80% of people will suffer from back pain in their lifetime (Walker, 2000).

In our Warwick osteopathy clinic, we see people whose back pain comes on after lifting something awkwardly. However, more commonly back pain is triggered by something small such as bending down to do up your shoe laces or doing the washing up. This may seem odd, but it is not usually the act itself which causes your back pain, but the accumulation of events leading up to it. This could be a change in daily routine or work patterns, introducing a new type of exercise too quickly, lack of sleep, increased stress, a period of inactivity or a multitude of other factors.

The fact you are reading this, probably means you have personal experience of back pain or know someone who does. Perhaps your back pain is worse after prolonged sitting, driving or in the morning when you get up. If so, don’t despair, there is plenty you can do to alleviate your pain and reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

There are many causes for back pain, but lifestyle is nearly always a significant factor. For example, if your job involves sitting at a computer all day or lots of driving, you are more likely to experience back or neck pain than other people. At the other end of the scale, a sudden increase or change in activity that your body hasn’t had time to adjust to, can also lead to back pain.

The thing we have less influence over is age. Incidence of back pain increases the older we get, due to normal age-related changes, such as gradual loss of disc elasticity and ‘wear and tear’ to spinal joints. However, the good news is that keeping active and strong, maintaining a reasonable weight and generally trying to keep a positive mindset can help counteract many of these aging effects.

Lower Back Pain – Leamington Spa & Warwick

While often localised to the lower back, pain can also refer to the buttock, groin, leg and foot. It can be caused by injury or dysfunction of any of the structures in the lower back: discs, ligaments, muscles or joints. However, in reality there are often more than one of these factors involved. Below are the most common causes:

Facet joint restrictions or injury (facet joints are the joints at the back of your spine between the vertebrae)
Osteoarthritis and age-related spinal ‘wear and tear’ to joints and discs
Disc bulge or herniation
Pelvic torsion affecting sacroiliac joint function
Muscle strain and muscle imbalance
Ligament sprain

Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain, which can also radiate around the ribs and into the neck is usually caused by injury or wear and tear. It can affect the structures in the upper back including facet or rib joints, muscles, ligaments and sometimes discs.

How Can Osteopathy Help Back Pain (Leamington Spa & Warwick)?

The NHS recommends manual therapy (which includes osteopathy) alongside exercise for low back pain treatment (NICE, 2020). An osteopath will conduct a thorough assessment to to work out what is causing your pain and how best to treat it.

Osteopaths will usually work on the symptomatic area of your back. However, they will also look beyond to other areas of restriction or dysfunction which may be contributing to the problem. We may use techniques such as soft tissue massage, joint articulation and spinal manipulation. Read more about osteopathic treatment.

Most back pain can be treated effectively with osteopathy. However, sometimes an osteopath may need to refer you to your GP for further tests or scans. This may be because symptoms are not improving or to rule out less common causes of back pain such as referred pain from conditions affecting internal organs or other serious illnesses.

Emma Lipson, osteopath at Feel Better Osteopathy specialises in neck and back pain (Leamington Spa & Warwick).

★★★★★ “Emma is a very professional & knowledgeable osteopath. I was looking for a local, experienced osteopath to treat my lower back from an injury that resulted in surgery 5 years prior. Emma was great at quickly finding why I could have been having problems and after a month or so, set me on my way with great advice on how to manage my exercise/day to day life routine. I have not had any repeat issues since. Emma is also a very friendly and lovely person. I would come straight back to Emma without skipping a heart beat if any future back problems arise” L.R. (Engineer)

★★★★★ “I contacted Emma when I developed lower back pain and needed help getting out of bed. I was 70 so wondered what the future would hold. Emma took a thorough history before starting to work on me. She showed me some exercises to do at home which I followed diligently. I was amazed that after only three visits I had got my mobility back” D.H. (Retired)

Tips and advice

An osteopath will give you advice on exercise, posture and lifestyle changes to help manage and prevent future back pain. However, if you are experiencing back pain right now, here are some general tips that should help:

Keep active and move as much as possible. Just a few minutes gentle walking or stretching each hour helps enhance blood flow and reduce inflammation, which in turn promotes healing.
Avoid heavy lifting or high-impact exercise whilst your back is healing.
Try using ice or heat: read my blog post for more detailed advice on this.
Anti-inflammatory pain medication such as ibuprofen can help when used in moderation. Consult your GP or a pharmacist for advice.
When sleeping, use pillows for extra support. Depending on what is causing your pain, try a pillow under your knees, between your knees (side-lying) or under your tummy.
Try to stay positive. Most back pain is not permanent and will get better, if you look after yourself and follow this simple advice.

You may also be interested in some of my blog posts which are packed full of useful tips: