Low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally. For something so common (in any given year, almost 40% of the population will have it!)- there is still so much confusion about what to do when it strikes!
Low back pain can feel quite scary.
It can make it hard to sit comfortably, bend, change positions, lift your kids, even get comfortable in bed.
Back pain can come from a number of causes, but usually it’s either:
➖ One incident, like bending/lifting/twisting beyond the capacity of what your body can handle that day
➖ A slow build up of factors, or age related changes
➖ Inflammatory arthritis or other medical conditions
It can behave differently on everyone and there is a difference between acute and persistent back pain. Which means my treatment approach will vary for each of the women I saw with back pain.
But in general, I aim to help women:
🌟 Find ways they CAN move without pain, and practise this regularly
🌟 Find a balance between rest and activity
🌟 Understand pain science and what their pain is telling them (ie when they can ignore and when they should listen)
🌟 Set boundaries around what information they take in about back pain in general
🌟 Prioritise quality sleep and reduce stress where they can
Bottom line- ‘sitting around while you wait and see’ does not always get results with back pain.