Fix Your Back Pain
I’m not gonna lie to you, back pain can sometimes be tricky. I’m sure if you’re taking the time to read this you already know that. The key we have found here at Rock Therapy is to keep things simple, as well as effective. Getting an A4 sheet with 20 exercises on it can sometimes be a little daunting. So we strive to use treatment and exercise that is evidence based, effective as well as interesting and fun where possible. The key is “don’t let perfect get in the way of better”.
Hands-on treatment
Again, tricky. The research on manual therapy when treating back pain isn’t perfect, BUT (and that’s a big ‘but’) it always performs well in the short-term. When your back is at it’s worst, we will never overlook the power of hands-on treatments like massage, mobilisation, needling and manipulation (clicking/cracking). Treatments like this work best at reducing pain and inflammation now to make work, sport and life easier. Once your pain has been reduced to manageable levels, strengthening will start to make sure your pain doesn’t return.
What to expect
A really thorough assessment. Chiropractic/Myotherapy will begin with a lengthy assessment of how your pain started, and how your pain is right now. Special movements and diagnostic tests will help to ascertain what is causing your pain and how to move forward. Depending on the severity of your pain, further imaging may be required, however it is very rare that some form of treatment won’t be given on the first visit. This is to make sure we can get you back to moving as soon as possible.
What science tells us
Exercise is key. Research has repeatedly shown that exercise is the key to reducing and managing chronic lower back pain. What’s more, this is the case in many intense injuries such as disc bulges. Obviously, exercises need to be tailored to your problem, and supervised heavily, but the key is always to start moving as soon as possible. However, manipulation (joint-cracking), dry needling, massage and other hands on treatments have been shown to improve pain short term. So a combination of both hands-on and rehabilitative exercise generally performs best, especially when you’re in a lot of pain.
Here at Rock Therapy
The real take home about all of this is that your treatment should individualised and progressive. Meaning, you should be assessed regularly throughout the treatment process, and exercises should be upgraded as you improve. Here at Rock Therapy, we’ll try to make things as fun and simple as possible. Explanations of your specific problem, an outline of what the process will look like, and regular check-ins on pain, strength and general function. That’s what we do here 🙂
All of the team here at Rock Therapy are avid rock climbers and train regularly. So we know firsthand all about muscle strains, joint and ligament pain and all types of injuries. Your treatment is tailored specifically to your body, your injury and the pain you’re experiencing. No standard treatments here, we’ll also listen to your problems. So! If you want to get back to work, sport or just living without pain, Rock Therapy can help, click the “Book Now” button below.
Dr. Jack Maltby
Chiropractor
I have had a lot of injuries. Weird brag, I know, but with the majority of my sporting life being focussed around rock climbing and long distance running, I’ve injured just about every part of my body. This has given me both an understanding of what rehab and treatment works best, but also what it’s like to mentally go through that experience. The things I value most from my therapists is a clear description of what my problem is, what the plan is going forward and how quickly I should expect […]