What is Non-Specific Lower Back Pain?
What is it?
Non-specific low back pain means pain in the lower back that isn’t caused by a serious underlying problem and can’t be pinned to one structure. It accounts for the vast majority of back pain.
It is real, it can be painful, and it is also very common – around 8 in 10 adults will have it at some point in their life. It is usually triggered by an unfamiliar load, a stressful period, poor sleep, or just bad luck.
The good news is that structures of your back are strong and resilient and this can respond very well to treatment and rehab. Try ignore the horror stories online or what others tell you.
What helps the most
• Stay active. Movement is the single best thing you can do – walking, easy mobility, normal daily activities. Avoid prolonged bed rest.
• Use exercise as medicine. Almost any form of exercise you enjoy and can stick with helps; specific strengthening programs are particularly effective for recurrent pain.
• Address the load. Sleep, stress, work demands and general fitness all influence back pain – not just “posture” or “core strength”.
• Reassurance matters. Worrying about the pain prolongs it; understanding that hurt does not equal harm is a powerful part of recovery.
• You don’t need a scan for most back pain. Imaging rarely changes the plan and often finds normal age-related changes. Research shows us that most of the time changes on imaging aren’t directly related to symptoms felt.
When to seek further advice
· Loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness around the saddle area – urgent care
· Unexplained weight loss, fever, night sweats, or a history of cancer
· Significant trauma, or pain that is severe and constant and unrelieved by any position
How we can help
· At Elite Performance Physio we focus on finding the true source of your problem, not just chasing symptoms. Your plan combines hands-on treatment, education and a tailored exercise program built around your goals – so you get back to doing what you love, stronger than before.
· We can do capacity and strength testing to see exactly how far away your strength is, giving you a more accurate indicator of recovery time.
· We can use dry needling and cupping for effective pain management.
· We offer weekly programming (similar to a PT) so we can keep monitoring you without the need to be face to face.
· If you are under a PT or do classes we can work with your coach to edit your program and keep them informed.
· So whether your exercise choice is strength, running or even pilates, we make rehab fit in with what you have access too.
