Understanding Low Back Pain
Low back pain is one of the most common yet debilitating issues, affecting people of all ages and lifestyles, often disrupting work, sleep and activities they love. The benefits of Physiotherapy is often not fully understood yet has been proven, when utilised appropriately, to reduce pain and dramatically improve quality of life.
Read on to find out how Physiotherapy can help you!
Causes and impact of lower back pain
You may have discovered already with conversations you have with friends, family and work colleagues that low back pain is extremely common. In fact, 4 out of 5 Australians report having low back pain at some point in their lives! People can experience low back pain in different ways – most feel stiff and sore, some feel sharp pain, a dull ache or pain radiating down a leg. [1, 2]
There are many causes of low back pain and it might be nice to know that back pain related to a serious medical problem (such as cancer, infection, spinal fracture or inflammatory conditions) is actually quite uncommon with only 2 in every 10 cases having a specific cause. [1, 2]
8 out of 10 cases of low back pain are not caused by a specific condition – we call this ‘non-specific low back pain’. In these cases, the structures of your lower back (muscles, ligaments and connective tissues) become ‘sensitised’. The most common causes for this are;
- Unaccustomed heavy physical work
- Too little physical activity
- Sustained postures like sitting for too long in a work environment
- Protective muscle bracing and guarding behaviours
- Weakness through the muscles that control movement and posture – this can be through your lower back, legs, hips or trunk.
- Lifestyle factors such as poor sleep quality and high stress levels
- Emotional factors such as depression or anxiety can also contribute to pain sensitivity
Every low back pain case is different – which is why considering the whole person rather than narrowly focusing on one area is the key to low back pain relief.
How Physiotherapy can help – using a holistic, personalised approach!
Realising the impact low back pain is having on our society can be daunting however there is hope! The approach of Physiotherapy has come a long way in the last 10-20 years where we are now taking the time to assess the likely contribution of all possible factors that may be causing your low back pain and targeting the management plan according to these factors rather than relying on treatment techniques that may not be relevant to your individual case.
The Physiotherapy assessment firstly involves the Physiotherapist taking a thorough history of your symptoms and the factors surrounding these such as the influence of exercise, movement, work, home and mood have on your symptoms. An objective assessment will then follow where the Physiotherapist will look at the way you move and complete a number of physical tests to determine whether your back pain has a specific cause or whether the factors contributing to your pain are more non-specific in nature.
Once the main contributing factors have been determined, your Physiotherapist will work with you to build your understanding of why you may be experiencing back pain and identify the best course of action in addressing the main contributing factors to help relieve your symptoms and improve your quality of life. This can be through techniques like manual therapy, exercise prescription, posture education, lifestyle changes, breathing and pain management strategies. [3]
HBF Physio pride ourselves on taking the time to understand you as a person and work with you to determine the best course of action in relieving and managing your low back pain. All of our physios approach this process confidentially from a place of compassion and care. You have the right to feel safe and confident in the care of your Physiotherapist and at HBF Physio we strive to provide this environment for anyone who walks through our doors.
So, whether you’re an HBF member, with another health fund, or don’t hold heath cover, we are here to support you.
To learn more about how physiotherapy can help you address you lower back pain, head to hbfphysio.com.au or call one of our clinics today.
References
[1] Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990–2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
