Back Pain and Sciatica

Back pain is a common disorder affecting around one-third of the UK adult population each year. Nearly everyone is affected by it at some point in their life. For most people suffering from back pain, substantial pain or disability is short lived and they soon return to normal daily activities. A small proportion, however, develop chronic pain and can even cause disability.

Back pain comes in many forms though lower back pain is often the most common type. It can occur at any age from a variety of causes.

The causes of back pain can range from traumatic injury from an accident or from playing a particular sport, it can occur from repetitive strains built up over time, which are often work related, and involve strains from desk work, leaning over at a work station, looking after the very young or immobile people, driving, etc.

Lower back pain when untreated can often spread to other areas including the mid back, neck and shoulders, or spread into the hips and down the leg(s) causing sciatic pain. It can be acute as though someone has a knife in you or a persistent dull pain making movements difficult or impossible. It has the ability to sap energy out of your day, prevent you from doing your favourite things, lowers your zest for life, lowers your efficiency and effectiveness and lowers the spirit and mood.

If your back pain is recent and has been there for over a week and shows no sign of improving or the pain easing, we recommend you book a treatment with us before leaving it overly long where problems could compound. Generally only a few treatments are required to get you back to your normal flexibility and strength

If you have persistent long term back pain we have two options open to you:

Private Treatment

At Better With Bowen we have a multidisciplinary approach to back pain. We not only provide effective treatment, but we are also able to recommend much that you can do to help yourself. We place an emphasis on pacing of activities, long term self-management and goal planning evaluating the client’s progress until results have been achieved. Find out more here.

Group Treatment

Back Skills Training (BeST) is a group-based programme specifically designed to help people recover from episodes of back pain that have lasted more than 6 weeks. The programme will also be of benefit to those who experience persistent pain in other areas of their body – shoulders, neck, knees, etc.

It helps patients understand their pain and offers practical tools and advice for recovery. The programme consists of an initial 1 to 1 assessment, followed by 6 group sessions. Find out more here.