I received an email from a new patient today asking how do Bristol Osteopaths treat low back pain, so I thought a blog post would be useful for other patients to use as a reference tool too.
Low back pain is one of the most common complaints that I treat as an Osteopath in Bristol. Many Bristol Osteopaths treat low back pain every day.
According to the NHS back pain is the largest single cause of disability in the UK, with low back pain accounting for 11% of the total disability of the UK population.
The British Pain Society estimates that back pain costs the UK economy £10 million annually.
The low back needs to be kept healthy to prevent debilitating pain.
Luckily, low back pain can often be helped with Osteopathic treatment at my Henleaze clinic.
An experienced Osteopath in Bristol will be well-placed to diagnose, manage and treat many kinds of back pain.
The most severe types of low back pain might need referral to a surgeon.
The most common types of low back pain that I see at my Bristol Osteopathy clinic include:
Joint strains - usually the facet joints connecting the vertebrae.
Disc injuries - damage or compression to the discs (the weight bearing structures that sit between the vertebrae.
Muscular strains within the back.
New patients often ask me why low back pain is so common, and it can usually be traced back to a loss of flexibility and/or reduced core strength/stability.
This can be caused by sitting for too long and with poor posture.
A sedentary lifestyle puts significant strain on the low back, making it susceptible to injury.
Read my top tips here on avoiding poor posture and how to sit well at home.
Low back pain and injuries can also be caused by over-straining the back, perhaps from vigorous gardening, lifting, or inappropriate manual work.
How do Bristol Osteopaths treat low back pain?
There are a few key stages in which an Osteopath in Bristol will manage low back pain, such as:
Diagnosing the injury and the structure(s) involved, identifying the causes, and then explaining this clearly to a patient.
Apply appropriate and safe Osteopathic treatment.
Provide exercise and back management advice, which might include postural advice for desk workers.
In some cases there may be benefits to having ongoing osteopathy, such as Maintenance Osteopathic Treatments.
How can I prevent low back pain?
This is a frequent question from my patients, and my advice is:
Prevention is better than cure, so carefully consider ways to improve back health, flexibility and stability. Yoga and Pilates are excellent for this.
Sit for less time and sit better to reduce the load on your low back.
Take micro breaks.
Drink more water - this helps to hydrate discs, joints and muscles in the low back as well as increasing body movement from more frequent toilet breaks.
If you have suffered a low back injury, you can book an appointment rapidly and easily with me online here.
My Bristol osteopath clinic is fully open so if you’re looking for Covid-safe treatments, please read this news post to find out about the measures in place at my Henleaze Osteopathy clinic for all patients.
To find out more about the full range of Covid-secure Osteopathic treatments that I provide in Bristol, please visit here for details.