Lower back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems, affecting nearly 80% of adults at some point in their lives. Whether you’re dealing with a dull ache after sitting for too long, a sudden muscle spasm, or chronic stiffness, lower back pain can disrupt daily activities and reduce your quality of life.
The good news? Osteopathic treatment for lower back pain can offer a safe and effective way to reduce pain and improve function.
What Causes Lower Back Pain?
Understanding the source of your discomfort is the first step towards lasting relief. Common causes can include:
- Muscle strain or ligament sprain – Overstretching, lifting heavy objects, or sudden movements can irritate muscles, ligaments, or intervertebral discs.
- Postural – Long periods of sitting at a desk or hunching over a phone can create soft tissue stress and tension.
- Herniated or bulging discs – Intervertebral discs that can press on nerves and potentially cause pain, numbness, or tingling.
- Arthritis and joint degeneration – Age-related changes can reduce spinal flexibility and cause soft tissue compensation and stiffness.
- Stress and tension – Emotional stress often leads to muscular tension in the neck and shoulders, but can also manifest in the lower back.
Identifying the root cause helps guide us to the best lower back pain treatment plan.
How Osteopathy Can Help
Osteopaths use a whole-body approach to diagnose and treat lower back pain, and we focus on restoring balance and improving the body’s natural ability to heal.
Key techniques include:
- Posture and movement assessment: Identifying the key structures and areas that are causing you the pain. We’ll also do specific tests to figure out what tissues are the root of your symptoms.
- Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT): Hands-on treatment to release muscle tension, improve joint mobility, and enhance circulation and lymphatic flow. This can be via joint manipulations and articulations, soft-tissue massage, trigger point therapy, or even dry needling.
- Lifestyle guidance: Personalised advice on exercise, ergonomics, and nutrition to reduce pain in the short-term and support long-term health and movement.
By improving mobility and function, osteopathy can provide long-lasting lower back pain relief without invasive procedures.
Home Tips for Back Pain Relief
While professional treatment is important, small daily habits can also help while you’re in pain and waiting to see someone:
- Stay active – Our clinic motto – “Movement is Medicine”. Walking, swimming, or simple Yoga/Pilates exercises keeps things moving and helps to regulate pain. Although, if any of these activities increase your pain significantly, be mindful of how much you’re doing.
- Pain doesn’t mean damage – While we want to remain comfortable and avoid significant pain, staying active may mean you experience some more discomfort. However, as long as this is within manageable limits, it doesn’t mean that you’re doing more damage. Stick to low impact and low intensity movement until advised otherwise.
- Practice good posture – Use a supportive chair and take breaks to stretch if you sit for long periods.
- Manage stress – Breathing exercises and meditation help release muscle tension.
- Ice or Heat? – That will depend on what’s going on, which is why it’s important to see a practitioner sooner rather than later. Although, trying both and seeing which is more effective at reducing your pain and allowing more movement is a good option if you have to wait for an appointment.
When to See an Osteopath
Seek professional care if your back pain:
- Lasts more than a week
- Worsens over time
- Is accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness
- Interferes with daily activities or sleep
Early evaluation and treatment can prevent chronic issues and speed up your recovery.
Don’t let your lower back pain get on top of you and limit your life. Use the guidance above, but also let us have a look at things figure out a diagnosis and treatment plan to get you back to pain-free movement as quickly as possible.
📞 Call us on 01604 435484 or Book Online to schedule your appointment today.