BACK PAIN – WHAT CAUSES IT?
The best way of reducing back pain is to find the CAUSE… Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles have lead to a huge increase in the amount of lower back problems. Why is this? Sitting down for long periods can cause vital muscles (e.g. our glutes and core) to switch off and cause other muscles such as our hip flexors to become tight. This leads to more stress being placed on our lower back, and this can be extremely painful and frustrating. Although therapy such as Sports Massage is fantastic for pain relief, it is not the cure. We have seen best results when we have helped people with postural correction, and movement re-education.
The take away message? Treat the CAUSE not the SYMPTOMS!
WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?
- Stretch the hip flexors
- Strengthen the core
- Activate the glutes
- MOVE!!!
WHAT DO WE OFFER FOR BACK PAIN TREATMENT HERE AT CLINIC?
- Ergonomic advice: for the many of us who spend long periods sat at a desk, our therapists offer advice on chair and computer height to help with posture.
- Postural retraining: each patient will receive a personalised exercise programme to strengthen what needs strengthening, and stretch what needs stretching.
- Movement re-education: our lack of movement in the modern world can lead to inefficient movement patterns. Functional rehabilitation helps to reintroduce efficient movement patterns; reducing stress on our lower backs.
- Manual Therapy: mobilising stiff areas of the spine (generally the T-Spine) helps to reduce stress on the lower back.
- Acupuncture and Sports Massage: although these will not cure back pain, they can be extremely useful in pain relief during rehabilitation to allow exercises to be performed more easily.