How to Fix Your Lower Back Pain in 2 Steps with Physiotherapy

Allow me to introduce you to Patrick (not his real name). Patrick is a loving father who loved spending time with his family and his motorcycle (a close second).

Patrick entered the clinic for the first time as the last resort for his pain. In fact he could not even stand let alone walk. I first met Patrick 3 years ago. He came in x-ray in hand with his wife supporting him. Literally, I believed that he would not have been able to stand on his own.

That morning, Patrick was unable to get out of bed because of his excruciating back pain. It had never been like this before. When he was finally able to sit up, every step he took sent shooting electric pains into his legs. He found himself crawling in pain and could not find any relief.

Patrick’s story is unfortunately all too common. I hope for you to be able to share in his lessons after suffering for years with excruciating back pain. He would admit later that his stubbornness took years of enjoyment away from his life. Time he would NEVER get back. “I shouldn’t have waited so long to take care of my pain.My back pain debilitated me. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t enjoy time with my kids. I couldn’t ride. It robbed me of life.”

Does this sound familiar?

Patrick is one of the many cases we see each day in our clinic of people suffering with debilitating lower back pain. Patrick was able to return to this normal life after a few short weeks of physiotherapy and after his treatment he was also empowered with the knowledge of what caused his back pain as well as what he needs to do to prevent it from happening again. Like him, many others have experienced permanent relief of their pain and it all starts by identifying the real root cause of your pain in order to facilitate the right treatment that will yield relief.

Not all back pain is the same. There are different types of lower back pain depending on what structure is affected. Each structure has it’s own specific treatment protocol that will yield the best results.

Radiating vs Referring vs Radicular Pain

Perhaps you’ve heard of these terms before. Or not. If so, what do they actually mean?

1. Radicular pain is a type of pain that radiates from your back and hip into your legs through the spine. The pain travels along the spinal nerve root. The leg pain can be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Radicular pain occurs when the spinal nerve gets compressed (pinched) or inflamed.

2. Referred pain is pain felt at a site different from the injured or diseased organ or body part. For example, someone might be experiencing pain in their buttocks or leg, but the structure at fault would be a joint or muscle in their lower back.

3. Radiating pain is pain that travels from one body part to another. It begins in one place then spreads across a bigger area.

Radiating back pain is usually only the beginning. This means that there are likely multiple areas that are irritated and injured.

This is not your typical back pain due to a tight and achy muscle. In terms of treatments, physiotherapists have to find all of the injured tissues and dig deep to treat not one but multiple causes for the radiating lower back pain.

How to fix your lower back pain in 2 steps with physiotherapy

Step 1: Write it down

If this is not your first time seeing a doctor or therapist, you will know that the first
meeting typically involves answering some questions. These questions are important because they will help to guide your next steps. If you have these questions answered ahead of time, you don’t have to try and remember something that may have happened years ago. Your first visit will go faster and smoother.
Here are some important questions that you need to be able to answer:

❏ When did your pain start?
❏ How did it begin? (Was there an accident or incident, did it come on gradually?)
❏ What movements or positions aggravates your pain?
❏What movements or positions provide relief?

Step 2: Movement tests

Your answers to the above questions will help to determine which physical and
movement tests if any are performed. Each movement will cause one of three things to happen: Your pain will increase; Your pain will decrease; or, it will remain the same and have no effect.

From your responses to the tests, your clinician therapist will be able to determine which specific area and nerves or muscles have been injured in order to provide you with an accurate diagnosis and recommend the best treatment for your type of pain.

Ending your lower back pain for good

Lower back pain is very common, most people will experience back pain at some point of their lives. However there is a misconception that back pain is normal or that is a natural part of the aging process which is truly not the case!. The vast majority of back pain conditions are reversible and fixable with the right treatment so that you can regain your mobility and return to the activities and sports that you desire

Whether your back pain is recent or has been there for a long time, you can find permanent relief and improve the quality of your life as a result. Imagine getting back to doing the things you love. And reconnecting with the person you were before lower back pain was your life. Physiotherapy can help to reduce and eliminate lower back pain and get you back to normal. At the end of your treatment, you will also be equipped with the knowledge to prevent this pain from occurring again.

If you are currently struggling with lower back pain or have tried different forms of treatment with no results, we can help! Like we have helped 1,000’s of lower back suffers overcome pain and regain their health. We invite you to sign up for a complimentary phone consultation with one of our therapists specialized in fixing lower back pain.

Or give us a call us at (416) 634-0005 to book a Free Consultation with one of our expert physiotherapists.

If you will like some more useful tips on fixing lower back pain simply click this link: How To Heal Your Back Pain Quickly.

We look forward helping you in your journey back to health.