Back Pain Treatment at Crofton Healthcare
Crofton Healthcare provides professional osteopathic assessment and treatment for back pain, drawing on over 30 years of clinical experience. Back pain can develop for many reasons. We take the time to understand your symptoms, how they are affecting you and any factors that may be contributing to the problem. Treatment is tailored to you, with the aim of reducing discomfort, improving movement and helping you return to normal activity.
What is back pain?
Back pain tends to be very common, and most people experiencing it at least once in their lifetime. Your back is a very complex structure which is composed of bones, muscles, nerves and joints. Back pain is caused by a problem of one of these elements.
It’s a musculoskeletal disorder that can present in a range of ways including…
- A slight twinge to being in severe pain
- A full but constant ache to a sudden sharp pain that makes movement difficult
- It can gradually become worse or start quickly if you fall or lift something that is too heavy
What are the symptoms of back pain?
Back pain is the most common in the lumbar (lower back) region, although it can be felt anywhere along your spine, from your neck down to your hips.
Back pain symptoms include…
- Muscle ache
- Muscle spasms
- Tension, soreness and stiffness
- Pain that runs down your legs
- Limited flexibility or range of motion of your back
Causes of Back Pain
The lower back area is also called the lumbosacral, it is the part of the back between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the legs. Most of the lower back is made up of many bones called the vertebrae. The most common type of back pain is usually a case of sudden – onset pain, however it is unclear where the pain is stemmed from, there is no specific problem or disease that can be identified as the cause of discomfort. The severity of the pain can vary from mild to severe.
This type of back pain, can sometimes feel like:
- Tends to get better or worse depending on your position
- Typically feels worse when moving
- Can develop suddenly or gradually
- Might be the result of poor posture or lifting something awkwardly
- May be due to a minor injury such as a sprain
- Can be associated with feeling stressed or rundown
- Will usually start to get better in a few weeks
Preventing Back Pain
Although there is no cause for back pain, there is still some slight treatments in which you can do to slightly improve the pain. Back pain should usually improve within a few weeks or months, there are several things you can do to reduce your pain in the meantime. There are also some specialist treatments that may be recommended if its thought simple measures aren’t likely to be effective on their own. Treatments in which you can try yourself are:
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- Stay Active: One of the most important things you can do is to keep moving and continue with your normal activities as much as possible.
- Back Exercises and Stretches: Simple back exercises and stretches can often help reduce back pain. These can be carried out at home as often as you need to.
- Painkillers: Tablets such as ibuprofen can help relieve back pain
- Hot and Cold Packs: For heat try a warm bath and hot water bottle and for cold an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas
- Relax and Stay Positive: Trying to relax is a crucial part of easing the pain as muscle tension caused by worrying about your condition may make things worse.
FAQs
I seem to have had back pain for a number of years, why does it keep coming back?
After an episode of back pain, there’s a 90% chance that it’s going to happen again, this called recurring back pain. We recommend gentle exercise and physical therapy as this will help to strengthen and stabilise your spine.
Are there any serious signs or conditions that I should know about?
If your back pain persists and therapy doesn’t seem to help, we suggest you see your doctor, they’ll be able to provide a thorough examination and get to the root of the problem.
When will the pain in my back stop?
Whilst everyone is different and everyone’s back pain is different, we can;t give a precise time that your back pain will stop. You can speak to your therapists and they will be able to give you a better idea of recovery time based on your individual situation.
What is the aim of back pain therapy?
The goal of the back pain treatment we provide is to try and help you control your pain and get your back to it’s best possible function, even if the pain doesn’t go away completely, we aim to ease it.
What ways can I prevent back pain?
As well as having back pain treatment, we recommend that you keep active, gentle exercise is a good place to start like walking, we also think sports like swimming and cycling.