Treatments
BACK PAIN
Back pain is a very common problem, with eight in ten of us suffering from it at some point during our lives. 5.6 million working days in the UK are lost each year due to back pain, second only to stress.
Back pain can affect anyone at any age, and can often be the result of a sprain or a strain of back structures like muscles, ligaments, joints or discs. Osteoarthritis or wear and tear can also be a cause.
Back pain can be painful and inconvenient, but it’s not usually serious and will often resolve on its own within a few weeks. Many people seek treatment from Chapel Place Osteopaths to address it quickly and to help prevent back pain from becoming a chronic, long-term condition.
Back pain can be brought on by lifting, moving awkwardly or by an accident. Sometimes it can come on without any specific injury to your back. Stress, depression, posture, being overweight, sedentary living and poor lifestyle habits can all be significant factors.
Our patients describe a range of symptoms like stiffness, tenderness and mild to very severe pain. Pain can come on suddenly or over time, and be located anywhere in the spine from the top of the neck to the pelvis.
Sciatica and trapped nerves. Pressure from the back on the nerves can cause pain or pins and needles and numbness in the legs and arms. X-rays, scans and other tests are sometimes required to make a diagnosis. If we cannot completely heal or discover the cause of the back pain, your osteopath may refer to your GP or a specialist for any additional investigation
How osteopathy can help Back Pain
At Chapel Place Osteopaths we are well known for treating back pain and patients report high satisfaction with treatment. Good quality evidence supports the beneficial effects of manipulation for back pain and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends osteopathy for sub-acute and chronic low back pain.
Osteopaths use a wide range of gentle manual treatments depending on your age, fitness and diagnosis. We may gently massage the soft tissues of your back or rhythmically “rock” the joints to release tension and sometimes we may gently manipulate the back to loosen the joints where you may hear a “click”. At other times we may use gentle balancing techniques known as Cranial Osteopathy.
Treatment is different for individuals and might involve treating other areas in the body such as the hips or neck.
We offer advice on diet, lifestyle and exercise particularly if we feel something you are doing habitually is a cause of your back pain.
We may offer advice on your posture and give advice on diet and exercise or give you specific exercises.
Types of back conditions we treat:
- Acute back pain
- Chronic back pain
- Some Disc problems
- Mechanical back pain
- Sciatica and Trapped nerves
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Osteoarthritis
Useful web links:
Backcare UK http://backcare.org.uk/
National Osteoporosis Society https://theros.org.uk/
Arthritis research UK https://www.versusarthritis.org/