We know low back pain. Getting you pain-free, back to normal strength, lifting correctly and returning you to exercise is what we do. The most common acute pain and injury presentations we see are related to the muscles, joints, discs and nerves in the lower back. Family history and degenerative changes in the spine can also play a role. Our Physiotherapists will help you overcome your back injury with our thorough approach of hands-on Physiotherapy combined with extensive exercise prescription.
It's well known that Lower Back pain is more common than catching a cold, with more than 70% of the population experiencing pain at some point in their lives. Pain in the lumbar region is usually caused by local structures within or around the lower back and occasionally can be caused by or referred from other sources such as the hips, upper back, or abdomen. Lower back pain often occurs in individuals involved with long periods of sitting, regular or heavy lifting, bending forward or twisting activities, or a combination of these movements.
Disc Injury
Bulging, herniation and protrusion of the discs in the lower back can cause debilitating pain and a loss of daily function.
Commonly this causes pain in the lower back with or without symptoms like sciatica radiating into the buttock, groin, thigh, lower leg, ankle or foot and often with associated muscle spasm.
Pins and needles or numbness is occasionally present in the affected leg or foot. Symptoms often increase with repetitive or prolonged sitting, bending, lifting, coughing or sneezing and are often worse first thing in the morning.
Discectomy and Spinal Fusion Surgery
In some cases surgery is required to either remove a protrusion or sequestration of disc material or stabilise multiple levels if it is not getting better with conservative treatment or interventions like injections.
Post-operatively we help in the
rehabilitation process to return you to
loading and lifting, training you in
neuro-muscular programming for
correct movement patterns, spinal
muscle and core strength using
surgical protocols and personalised
time-frames.
Muscle Strains, Spinal Instability and Core Weakness
Relative inner core weakness and spinal instability is a condition we see commonly see where patients are presenting with lower back or hip pain from a combination of muscular strains, weakness and tightness. Improving core strength and muscular imbalances is key to stabilise your spine and pelvis with these problems.
We focus not only on deep core and pelvic floor activation, but also on global core strength including the lumbar spine muscle groups that play a vital role in strength, stability and movement patterns of lifting and bearing load.
Sacro-iliac joint dysfunction
Damage or loading strain to connective tissue of the sacroiliac joint causing one sided lower back pain and into the back of the pelvis. Pain may radiate into the buttock and occasionally, the groin or outer aspect of the front of the thigh. Physiotherapy often involves settling the affected structures with joint mobilisation, hip strength and graded lumbo-pelvic stability exercises.
