“What should I do for low back pain?”.
I get asked this question a lot. And not just by patients- by family members, friends at parties, at Christmas lunch, anybody I make the mistake of telling I’m a Physio… you name it! And no surprise really, seeing as about 80-90% of us will have back pain at some point in our lives. The thing is though, there is no simple answer to the question, and reducing the answer to some one size fits all recipe would be doing everybody a great disservice.
Why?
Firstly, it’s because there are many of different types of back pain. There are hundreds of anatomical structures that can be contributing to the pain. Approximately 80-90% of back pain is also “non-specific”, meaning that the exact cause of pain cannot be attributed to a specific pathology.
Also, and very importantly, the question really should be “What should I do for my back pain?”- because everybody is different and everybody is affected by pain in different ways. Recent studies are showing more and more that emotional and psychological factors are very important when it comes to pain. Thoughts, stress, anxiety, catastrophising, sleep patterns, past trauma, resilience can all contribute to back pain. All of these psychological factors are extremely individualised, and we cannot compare one person with another. Some things that may work for one person, will not work, or may cause more harm, in another.
So, to answer a simple question simply, the best thing you should do is consult with an experienced and caring health professional, (we’d recommend a Physiotherapist, and, namely us!), to thoroughly examine your concern, rule out any serious problems, and provide treatment tailor-made to you.
Now, having said all that, some things that can help alleviate (mild) back pain (in the short term) are: changing posture; moving often; walking; gentle exercise; heat packs; icepacks; avoid sitting; avoid/ modify aggravating postures or movements (short-term); anti-inflammatories (under doctor/ pharmacist advice); strengthening up (the key!); use a support in the small of back when sitting; support under knees when laying down/ sleeping on your back; support between the knees in sidelying; massage; sleeping well; managing stress; doing more things that bring you joy; and having happy, positive thoughts to name but a few.
But really, come see us. Don’t be a tight-ass or lazy when it comes to the most important thing you will ever own- your body!
Tags: back pain; pain; physiotherapist; physiotherapy; physio; physio Doncaster; Melbourne; back care tips; health.
