Back Pain

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Overview

Over 80% of New Zealanders will experience some form of back pain in their lifetime. If you're one of them, then you'll know what a struggle it can be. Back pain can impact on your work and your general ability to keep moving and enjoy life.

Symptoms

There are a number of different factors that contribute to the experience of back pain. In most cases, it is not possible or necessary to identify a specific source of pain.

How physio helps

Your physio can identify the factors contributing to your specific back problem and design a treatment plan and management programme that's just right for you. They'll also check if any underlying health conditions could be contributing to your back pain.

For minor back pain the sooner you get back to being active the better; gone are the days where bed rest for weeks was recommended. In fact, research clearly demonstrates that staying active can help reduce your pain and shorten recovery time in most cases. A physio can advise you on appropriate exercises that are right for you.

What to expect

Your physio can help with:

  • Assessment and advice on your back pain
  • Mobilisation and manipulation as appropriate
  • Specific exercises to help your recovery
  • Designing a pain management plan
  • Education on how to manage any future back problems
  • Advice on returning to work, sport and general activities
  • Workstation assessments, ergonomic analysis and advice on specific work tasks
  • Referring you to other appropriate health providers (specialists or GPs) if needed

FAQ

Physiotherapy can make a huge difference to your back pain, helping you with treatment and pain management. Most importantly a physio can support you to regain function and help to keep you healthy for the future.