Condition
Back Pain
From mechanical low-back pain to disc-related symptoms. Most back pain responds well to assessment, hands-on care, and a graded exercise plan.
Symptoms
Back pain ranges from a dull ache after a long day to sharp pain that catches you when you move. Some people feel it only in the back; others get referred symptoms into the buttocks, hip, or leg. Stiffness in the morning, pain with bending or lifting, and trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep are all common.
Causes
Most back pain is mechanical: muscles, joints, and discs working under load they weren’t ready for. Specific drivers include:
- Lifting or twisting injury
- Long hours seated with poor positional variety
- Disc bulge or herniation pressing on a nerve root
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- Spinal arthritis (more common with age)
How we treat it
A physiotherapy assessment locates the structures involved and rules out anything that needs a different referral. Treatment combines manual therapy, exercise to restore tolerance and strength, and education about loading the back well between visits. Most people are back to normal activities within a few weeks; persistent cases take longer but follow the same approach.
When to seek other care
Back pain with progressive leg weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, fever, or a recent significant fall warrants medical assessment, not physiotherapy alone.