The Injury Hub: Back Pain
Our Chartered Physiotherapists across Ireland are experts in the causes, symptoms and treatment of Back Pain. Book an appointment today.
Back pain can be caused by problems with either discs, joints, muscles and ligaments or most often a combination of these. It is usually the result of acute trauma/injury or poor postural habits and the resulting accumulation of stress on the spine. However, there are other rarer, more serious causes of back pain that can result in progressive inflammatory processes affecting bones and joints.
Back pain for many people is often experienced as a pain or discomfort located between the lower ribs and buttocks with or without the addition of leg pain.
Symptoms can range from muscle ache to shooting pain, limited movement, altered walking and difficulty standing straight. If sciatica occurs along with the back problem, nerve pressure is experienced as pain that radiates down the leg and possibly into the ankle or foot. Pins & needles and numbness can occur too.
Acute low back pain generally lasts for a few days to weeks and is usually as a result of trauma or arthritis. Low back pain that persists for longer than 3 months is considered chronic.
As back pain is often multifactorial, our Physiotherapists are highly trained to diagnose problems in the joints and soft tissues of the body. They will carry out a comprehensive assessment and treatment plan to help successfully manage your particular problem.
Manual therapy such as spinal manipulation/ mobilisation and massage are often used to alleviate symptoms and manage this condition in the acute stage. A home exercise programme will be devised to help restore muscular strength and re-educate accurate movement patterns. Your physiotherapist may advise other activities such as pilates or yoga to help with the long term care of your back.
Our Chartered Physiotherapists and Certified Acupuncturists may also help to relieve your back pain through the use of acupuncture or dry needling. For more information please see our pages on acupuncture or dry needling.
Our Physiotherapists have a great deal of specific clinical experience in the treatment of back pain and back injuries. Back pain can be caused due to a number of different reasons so our Physiotherapists will assess your condition and find the most appropriate treatment for your pain.
There are many different structures in the back that can cause pain; such as, the disc, ligaments, muscles, and nerve tissue. Our Physiotherapists will endeavour to find the underlying reason why that structure was damaged which allows you to address the root of the cause rather than treating the symptoms.
Our Chartered Physiotherapist will aim to educate you about your back so you can best understand the benefits of the treatment and how to manage it long term if needed.
Click for more information on back pain treatment & request an appointment
