Back Pain Treatment

Hands-on chiropractic care in Lechlade to ease back pain.

Back Pain

At Bodysense Chiropractic we offer person-centred hands-on care for helping back pain.

We often don’t realise how important the lower back is to our everyday life until we cannot use it well. It is a fundamentally important part of the body. It has the capability to move in many directions and it can generate big forces and take on huge loads with the specialised muscles that support and control it.

Understanding that pain usually improves with the right treatment and supportive approach is important.  This is the case even if you have had it for many years.

At Bodysense Chiropractic we believe that there is always room for improvement and change with the combined approach of manual therapy techniques and mind body coaching.

Is back pain common?

Back pain is a term that relates to a pain problem that presents anywhere between the rib-cage and the buttocks. There may also be some associated pain referring down the buttocks, legs or groin region. Terms that are commonly used to describe it are:

  • Disc degeneration
  • Disc bulges
  • Prolapse
  • Facet joint arthropathy or osteoarthritis
  • Annular tears
  • Sacroiliac joint pain

Pain in the back is quite common.  From an age perspective it is common during adolescence, less so under the age of 10 and it often becomes more prevalent through life.

It can present with other pain problems such as hip pain, pelvic pain, neck pain and headaches. Up to 80% of the population will experience this type of pain in their life. Most people (70%) who get back pain will recover well and return to regular activity. However, recurrences or flare ups are common.

For a smaller group of people (up to 30%) it may become very limiting and persistent (lasting beyond 6-12 weeks) often disrupting a huge part of a person’s everyday life and work.

Lower back pain is the leading of work absence and disability.

It is rare (1-2%) for back pain to be caused by a serious health problem such as cancer, fracture, infection, or inflammatory disorder.

Myths about back pain

It is always a sign of tissue damage needing medical treatment.

Scans are needed to diagnose the pain.

Activities that trigger pain should be avoided and rest instead.

Taking part in activities like running, lifting and twisting are dangerous and can injure the back.

Having back pain means you have a weak core.

Back pain is caused by poor posture.

It means something is out of place and needs to be put back in.

There is nothing you can do for it as you get older.

Surgery, injections and strong drugs are always needed for pain treatment.

You have back pain. What now?

Firstly, acute sudden back pain can understandably leave you feeling vulnerable, in a lot of pain and fearful.  This can happen with awkward or (unusual for you) movements of the back. Alot of the time it is associated with muscle spasmwhere you feel “locked up” and guarded making it hard to move in a more “normal” way. This often will settle within a few days up to 10 days.

Even when feeling wary and in pain we encourage people to try and stay mobile and active as you can.

We are here to help you navigate this experience.

Back pain persisting beyond 3 months?

Foremost the aim is to figure out what is keeping the back in a sensitive state and begin to address them. This is unique to each individual and can include such things as high levels of stress, worries or anxiety, low mood, fear of pain and or movement, avoidance of movement and activity, resting too much, carrying excessive weight (especially around the belly) and having a negative mindset about the back (“my back is damaged and can’t be fixed”).

These things can cause changes to the nervous system making the spine’s structures very sensitive. Over-protecting or stiffening the spine can also be unhelpful, leading to more pain . Think of it like a constant clenched fist.

There are many things you can do to assist your back pain treatment. At Bodysense Chiropractic we encourage people to not avoid work, social engagements and begin to recognise that fearing pain will usually heighten it.

The most consistent results in recovery can happen with treatment centred around understanding the pain, manual therapy (bodywork) to enhance good function, coaching in efficient kinetic movement, staying active, having good sleeping habits and developing a positive mindset.

Treatment of back pain

If your pain is acute (sudden onset)

The most important aspect to your back pain treatment is to help you to get comfortable and moving more easily. This helps with recovery. We will also identify the underlying factors that have caused the pain in your back and make a treatment plan to prevent it in the future.

If your pain is persistent (longer than 6-12 weeks)

Working together to help you take control of your pain. We figure out a plan with treatment, lifestyle and more that works for you to. Using a combination of manual treatment, movement rehabilitation and mind body coaching methods to get you back to living well. This is often goal oriented, unique to your situation.

More persistent pain can take longer on average to manage. Your active involvement in recovery is crucial in this type of situation.

Back pain treatment involves hands-on techniques to relax you and get you moving. Coaching in more efficient body movements and relaxation techniques help you gain confidence and trust in your body. This is an important part of our treatment approach. Ultimately getting you back into to the daily activities, work and social engagements that have been avoided is important.

Coming up with a long-term plan is the key to prevent pain from recurring and stop it interfering in your life.

At Bodysense Chiropractic we invest time in you. 

We are not into the quick fix plaster approach with treatments for your pain.

Evidence and experience show that the best approach to long term pain management is:

Guidance in understanding why you have pain,

Helping you gain back control,

Restoring good functional, efficient movement,

Having a toolkit to manage the “flare ups”,

Being active as much as possible.

 

For some people this may take 3-4 sessions; however, for long term problems, this may take up to 6-10 sessions over a 3-4 month period.

Where needed we can refer you appropriate supervised exercise rehabilitation classes.

Chiropractic treatment for

What to expect

Your first appointment

Before your first appointment you will be sent a health questionnaire to fill out. We will ensure that you have the time to give all the relevant information.

Tara will take you through an in-depth case history. It is important we get the whole picture and background. Expect questions about your present complaint and any previous episodes, your general medical history, medications and lifestyle habits. The more information the better.

Understanding what you want to get out of your time with us is important too.

Your consultation will also include a physical examination. During the examination we will assess movement and function of your spine, muscles, joints and nervous system to establish what is causing the problem.

We may take a urine sample and check your blood pressure to complete an overview of your general health.

Our findings will be explained and an appropriate treatment plan discussed. An onward referral will be provided if necessary.

Follow up treatments

Treatment is varied and tailored to the individual. We will use different techniques dependant on what your physical assessment shows up.

If you have areas of specific concern we will work on this and discuss what techniques will be used. It is important to that you feel comfortable.

We take an integrative approach to treatment and use a variety of techniques including:

Spinal Manipulation
Joint Mobilisation
Soft Tissue Methods
Myofascial release
Dry Needling
Cranio-sacral technique
Supportive Taping
Exercise Rehabilitation
Lifestyle advice

You may be asked to wear a patient treatment gown, alternatively please wear loose joggers or shorts.

Long term goals

Long term relief and help is enhanced with your active input alongside your care.

Firstly we aim:
to get you moving well,
functioning better,
out of pain,
back doing the things you want to do.

Secondly we want to:
empower you with the tools, information and support to keep yourself well,
prevent recurrences.

We provide you with exercises, stretches, stress management and lifetstyle advice that can, alongside the ‘hands on’ care, help ensure your benefits are long term.