Back pain is a very common problem with reports published suggesting 80% of people will suffer from it at some point during their lives. Back pain is one of the most common causes for people taking time off work - in the UK each year around 5.6 million working days are lost to back pain.
Back pain is inconvenient and painful and so many people seek osteopathic treatment to address it quickly and at a time and place of their own choice. Osteopaths are highly skilled at helping prevent back pain from becoming a chronic long term condition.
People can experience a range of symptoms from mild to severe pain, stiffness or tenderness. The pain may come on suddenly or gradually over time and be located anywhere in the spine. If there is pressure on spinal nerves some people experience tingling, numbness or pins and needles sensations in their limbs.
Common causes of back pain:
Lifting or moving awkwardly
Accident
Disc injury
Posture
Arthritis
Depression
Being overweight/sedentary lifestyle
How can your Osteopath help? Osteopaths are well known for treating back pain and patients report high satisfaction with treatment. There is good quality evidence supporting the beneficial effects of manipulation for back pain and the National Institutes for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends osteopathy for sub-acute and chronic low back pain.
Osteopaths can use a wide range of gentle manual treatments depending on your age, fitness and diagnosis. We may work into the soft tissues of your back or rhythmically mobilise the joints to release tension and sometimes we may gently manipulate the back to loosen the joints and you may hear a “click”.
Treatment is different in every individual and sometimes it might involve treating other areas in the body such as the hips or neck.
We may offer advice on your lifestyle particularly if we feel something you are doing repetitively is part of the reason why you have back pain. We may offer advice on your posture and give advice on diet and exercise or give you specific exercises.
X-rays, scans and other tests are sometimes required to make a diagnosis and if osteopathy cannot completely heal or discover the cause of your pack pain, your Osteopath may refer you to you GP or a specialist for further investigations.
Don’t put up with back pain! For further information about this or any other general aches, pains, orthopaedic or musculoskeletal problems, arrange a consultation with our friendly, experienced team at Sandbach Osteopathic and Sports Injury Clinic on 01270 759 491.