Tips

Low back pain has been identified as one of the leading causes of disability Australia wide. It is estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives.

There’s a high chance that at some point, you or somebody that you know has been affected by this condition.

Symptoms of low back pain:

• Ache, burning or shooting pain in the lower back

• Pain worsened with particular movements

• General back stiffness or restriction

• Pain may shoot into glutes, thigh, leg or foot

• Possible numbness, tingling or weakness into legs or foot

Low back pain can be very debilitating, so we’ve laid out a few strategies that you can employ in order to help manage your symptoms.

1. Keep moving! - This may seem counter-intuitive, but one of the best things you can do for your lower back is to keep it moving. This doesn’t mean trying to do backflips when the pain is so bad that you can barely walk! It means encouraging movement within your pain limits. Try to avoid long periods of being stationary. Stand up and gently move around to stimulate blood flow and get your back muscles working.

2. Exercises - When your pain levels are manageable, you can start to perform exercises and stretches to continue to heal your back, and reduce the chances of future flare ups. Exercises should be aimed at first activating and then strengthening the muscles that stabilise your spine, including the abdominals, back muscles, glutes and hamstrings. An osteopath can help to provide you with a targeted exercise plan depending on your pain and strength levels.

3. Get help - Booking an appointment with an osteopath can help you to manage your lower back. An osteopath can provide you with hands-on treatment for pain relief, as well as exercises, education and advice on how to look after your back. They will conduct a thorough health history and examination which can identify possible causative factors. They can then discuss personalised options about how best to manage your pain, and prevent it from happening again.

Following these tips can greatly increase your chances of getting back to what you want to be doing, and reduce the chances of recurring back injuries. Book an appointment with Head 2 Toe Health today to begin your journey back to full health!