Low back pain – a mythbuster

Lower back pain is an area rife with unhelpful myths. We’ve busted a few misconceptions here to help you navigate this common complaint.

Did you know that most acute low back pain disorders are actually simple tissue strains that if managed well can settle quickly? Structured injury or pathology is commonly thought to be the reason for persistent pain, however this is only the case in a small minority of cases.

Other factors can and do play a role in back pain, like a lack of movement control of your spine, can result increased pain of sensitive structures. Lifestyle factors like lack of sleep, being largely sedentary through your day, or stress can also make pain worse. Fear of movement can increase disability in our spine, and when strength is reduced then abnormal movement exacerbates pain. Even psychological factors like focusing on the pain, anxiety around reinjury can also feed into back pain.

The causes of back pain are highly personal, and can involve the interplay of a number of factors like those above. We physiotherapists are skilled at unravelling the puzzle that can be any individual’s experience of pain, to develop the right treatment approach for them. Just get in touch if we can help!