Understanding lower back pain
Many people will experience back pain during their lifetime. Low back pain in particular is often very painful, debilitating, and above all can be quite frightening. Low back pain can often be a sign of injury to spinal structures, so it is always prudent to seek advice from a medical professional. The structures in the low back are very sensitive and important for day to day life, so it is important to visit a healthcare practitioner if you are in pain. Particular symptoms should always be reported to your doctor as soon as possible. They include:
- High temperature
- Sudden weight loss
- Constant pain that doesn’t fluctuate or ease at rest
- Difficulty controlling your bowel and bladder function
- Numbness or tingling in the saddle region
Low back pain often arises for specific reasons, such as lifting something heavy, or perhaps doing too much gardening over the weekend. Sometimes symptoms can appear gradually over many months, or even years. It is not uncommon for back pain to ‘creep up’ as you age, since the spine itself goes through various stages of natural ageing. One of the best ways to reduce or prevent back pain is to simply stay active. It’s a great idea to find an exercise you enjoy that you can keep doing as you get older. Yoga, pilates, and swimming are ideal as they are gentle, yet keep you moving.
If you are suffering with low back pain and want help, there are several available options. Patients often seek their GPs advice first, which is a great idea. A GP will soon be able to assess if you need urgent care or not, but they are limited in the time required to properly assess and treat back pain. GPs will usually suggest that you access NHS self-refer physiotherapy services. Physiotherapists’ strengths lie in rehabilitation and will usually prescribe a course of exercise-based rehabilitation to strengthen muscles and correct any structural imbalances. Often it takes some time for a physiotherapist to become available to see you on the NHS.
If you need to see someone quickly about your back pain, then an osteopath may be able to help. Osteopathy isn’t available on the NHS, but an osteopath can usually see you much sooner than a GP or physiotherapist, and can sometimes see you the same day. Osteopaths can provide treatment that eases the symptoms of low back pain. Reduction in pain can often be felt after just one session, although it may take several more to fully resolve the issue. Furthermore osteopaths receive extensive training and are taught to recognise a wide variety of conditions. If you have symptoms that aren’t suitable for osteopathic treatment then your osteopath can advise you on management and point you in the right direction as to where to get the right help.
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