Back Pain
Back pain is extremely common and, in the vast majority of cases, not dangerous. Understanding that is often the start of getting better.
What is back pain?
Most low back pain is non-specific, meaning it comes from the general system of joints, discs, muscles and nerves rather than one identifiable villain. That sounds unsatisfying, but it's actually good news: non-specific back pain has an excellent prognosis with active treatment.
Sciatica describes pain referred along the sciatic nerve into the buttock and leg, usually from irritation of a nerve root. It's more persistent than simple back pain but the large majority of cases settle without surgery.
Common symptoms
- Aching or sharp pain across the lower back
- Stiffness in the morning or after sitting
- Pain bending, lifting or twisting
- Pain radiating into the buttock, thigh or calf
- Pins and needles or numbness in the leg
- Muscle spasm or a sense of the back locking
What causes it
- Sudden loading, lifting or an awkward movement
- Prolonged sitting and low overall activity
- Reduced strength and endurance in the trunk and hips
- Disc and joint changes, many of them age-related and normal
- Poor sleep, high stress and low recovery
- Fear of movement after a previous episode
How physiotherapy helps
Assessment first screens for the rare serious causes, then identifies the movements and loads that provoke and ease your pain. That gives you an immediate plan for the next few days rather than just an explanation.
Treatment combines manual therapy for short-term relief with graded movement and strengthening, plus a clear explanation of what's happening. Guidelines are consistent: stay active, avoid unnecessary imaging and bed rest, and build capacity progressively.
- Screening and clinical diagnosis
- Joint mobilisation and soft tissue therapy
- Dry needling where appropriate
- Nerve mobility work for sciatica
- Progressive core, hip and back strengthening
- Pain education and activity pacing
- Workplace and lifting advice
When to seek treatment
- Pain that hasn't settled within a week or two
- Pain radiating below the knee
- Recurrent episodes of back pain
- Back pain limiting work or sleep
- Urgent: numbness around the groin, or loss of bladder or bowel control — go to a doctor immediately
Frequently asked questions
Let's get you moving again
If this sounds like what you're dealing with, an assessment is the quickest way to understand it properly. Back Pain responds well to the right plan.