Let's face it, our backs have a fundamental fault, they are not designed to stand up to the stresses and strains placed on them by humans walking upright. This means that back pain, particularly lower back pain, is very common.
Back pain often happens because something has become out of balance in the way your spinal joints, muscles, discs, and nerves fit together and how they move. Most back problems often gradually get worse or start for no obvious reason, which can be very frustrating, and statistics show that around 80% of us will suffer back pain at some point in our lives with around a 50% chance of a future recurrence.
Most people are inclined to rest when they experience back pain. Doctors commonly advised bed rest to relieve lower back pain in the past, but recent studies have shown that staying in bed for more than 48 hours doesn't help you heal faster, it often delays your recovery.
Back pain will usually improve within 6 weeks, but it can sometimes last longer or keep coming back. If your pain is severe, or is disrupting your daily activities, then it is often advisable to get it looked at by a back physio.
Back pain is common and the older you get the more likely you are to experience it, in fact it is the number one cause of early retirement.
The most important thing about back pain is to determine what structure is causing most of your symptoms. There is a big difference between how we will treat a herniated disc, versus a strained lower back muscle.
A physical examination is usually all that is needed to diagnose the source of your back pain, although we can refer you to have scans if we feel that is necessary. Once we know the reason for your back pain we are halfway to treating it.
One of the big advantages of physiotherapy is its personalized nature, before commencing any treatment we will give you a thorough assessment to see if you have a serious health problem that may be connected to your back pain. We will ask you a series of questions about the problem area and your general health, we will then follow up with a physical check of your movement to locate the cause of your back pain and propose a recovery plan to both treat and help prevent further problems.
Physiotherapy treatment plans are designed to progress gradually by considering the patient’s tolerance and response to the therapy. Our therapists will guide you step-by-step, ensuring that you are ready to advance to the next level before introducing any more challenging exercises or techniques. This gradual progression helps prevent excessive pain or discomfort and promotes a positive experience throughout your recovery.
Where there has been physical damage we aim to avoid the upheaval of surgery by using a range of non-invasive techniques which target the cause of your back pain. Our expert physiotherapy team are here to provide you with the best treatment and to help you achieve a swift recovery.
Lower back ache while standing or walking, is often a symptom of muscle fatigue or poor posture. You can usually treat this pain at home with rest, OTC pain relief. Persistent or recurring lower back pain may indicate an underlying condition.
Four out of five people experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. It’s one of the leading reasons why people see their doctors.
The middle back is less likely to get injured than the lower back because it is more rigid. Pain in this region is usually caused by irritation or injury to the nerves as well as to the ligaments, muscles, and discs in the area.
Pain in the upper back is less common than neck pain or lower back pain because the bones in that area of your back don't move or flex as much, their job is to protect vital organs in your body such as your heart and lungs. Before pursuing alternative, more aggressive treatments, such as back surgery, patients with the majority of upper back pain are frequently recommended for 4 weeks of physical therapy as an initial conservative treatment option.
Depending on the cause you might be able to treat it yourself with R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) but if you are experiencing back pain, it is always recommended to get it checked out early.
Back pain arises from various factors, including muscle strains, ligament injuries, spine arthritis, or disc issues. Research shows the effectiveness of physiotherapy in not only reducing pain but also in improving mobility and strengthening back muscles to prevent future injuries. The use of physio treatment for back pain is a holistic approach, addressing the pain’s root cause which includes:
Our back pain treatment clinic in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire uses a wide range of treatments that are all recommended and tailored to help keep you pain and injury-free, we offer preventative services to maintain your well-being and enhance your activity levels.
We understand that some people may want to find out a bit more about the cost before they book an appointment at our physiotherapy clinic. Our unique save as you recover packages can save you up to 20% on the cost of a single session.
For most injuries our chartered physio can usually treat you within 4 to 8 sessions.
We can either work directly with your insurance company or we can provide receipts for patients who use cash-based plans so you can reclaim your treatment costs.
You can book an appointment on a self referral basis, without the need for seeing your GP first.
No other local physiotherapy clinic can offer you the same level of physiotherapy and rehabilitation that we can, simply because they don't have our level of experience and our in-house gym facilities.
This is how we gained our reputation of treating patients when other physios may have failed.
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