Do you Have Back Pain in Sutton Coldfield?

Hello and welcome back to the ThreeSpires Physiotherapy blog where we take a look at all things physiotherapy and health related. Also, welcome back and thank you for continuing to read our series of articles highlighting the physiotherapy services that we offer in Sutton Coldfield. This time I thought we would look at how our home visit physiotherapy service helps patients with low back pain in Sutton Coldfield. So if you or someone you know has back pain and lives in Sutton Coldfield then hopefully this article will prove useful. To illustrate the physiotherapy service that we provide and how it might help someone with back pain I thought that we could cover a few common questions that I get asked about physiotherapy and back pain, look at how our specific physiotherapy service works and then finally look at a real life case study that shows how our physiotherapists were able to help someone with back pain in Sutton Coldfield. 

Back Anatomy and Structures

As always with physiotherapy before we can begin to understand what we can do about something we need to understand the structures involved. So, before looking at how we might be able to help with your back pain we need to have a look at the structures in the back to understand what it might be that is causing your back pain. It goes without saying that the back is a fairly compicated structure but it can be broken down into a set of structures that could be responsible for pain:

1. Vertebrae: The bones of the back are called vertebrae and they are split into the thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, sacral vertebrae and the coccygeal vertebrae. These are all easy to find on a person: the thoracic are located at and around the level of the ribs and these are the first set of vertebrae in the back when coming down from the neck and there are 12 of them. The next set of vertebrae are the lumbar vertebrae and these are pretty much the bones of the low back and there are 5 of these vertebrae. Underneath this is the sacrum and the sacral vertebrae which are mostly fused and not often that relevant to problems in the back. Finally we have the remnants of our tailbone the coccyx which is not possible to feel without an internal exam!

2. The Intervertebral Disks: in between all of the thoracic and lumbar vetebrae are disks that provide shock absorption and help with the movement of the joints of the spine. These disks are solid on the outside but have gel in the middle and have lots of nerve endings in them.

3. Facet Joints: the vertebrae of the thoracic and lumbar area have wings that stick out each side and form a joint with the vertebrae above and below and these are called facet joints. They are small but can be a significant source of pain.

4. Ligaments: all around the spine, linking each joint and providing stability there are a myriad of ligaments that can become irritated and strained. There is also a very large ligament that runs the whole length of the spine called the ligamentum flavum.

5. Muscles: running up and down either side of the whole of the back there are an enormous array of muscles that provide stabilty, movement, control and strength in the back in all movements. It is probably simplest to think of these as being firstly the paraspinals which run either side of the spine and connect each vertebrae and also the muscles of the wider back such as latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids and trapezius which have a re attached to various structures in the rest of the back but whose job is not primarily/solely control of the spine.

6. Ribs: connecting the sternum (chest bone) to the spine and running down the majority of the thoracic area we have ribs and these also have muscles in between called the intercostals. 

What Structures Can Cause Back Pain?

The simple answer to this question is that all of the structures listed above can be responsible for back pain however some parts of the back are more likely to be a source of pain than others. 

1. The Vertebrae: mostly (with some exceptions) the vertebrae themselves are unlikely to be a significant source of most back pain. Exceptions to the is would be fractures of the spinal vertebrae and collapse of the vertebrae due to conditions such as osteoporosis.

2. The Intervertebral Disks: as we age our disks also age with us and become much more prone to injury and being a source of pain. When we are young our disks tend to be thicker and have few cracks but unfortunately as we age they tend to thin and become cracked which can cause increased pressure and pain. The disks have gel inside which has many inflammatory substances and if the gel gets out of the disk through a crack and comes in contact with a nerve or surrounding structure this can cause intense pain. 

3. Facet Joints: although small these can be very painful and are quite easily strained. In the middle of these small joints is cartilage and there are also ligaments stabilising the joint. Quite often these can get strained through heavy lifting or twisting and they can give very intense pain on one side of the back. Fortunately they tend to heal quickly.

4. Ligaments: as with any ligaments in the rest of the body, the ligaments of the back can also become overloaded and irritated at various times. This could be because of heavy lifting or general overuse.

5. Muscles: these are a very common source of pain and can become very painful and spasm when overloaded by heavy lifting. If the muscles of the low back are overloaded this can often cause very intense pain and spasm across the back and make it impossible for you to move. 

6. Ribs: although the ribs themselves tend not to a source of pain, the intercostal muscles in between the ribs can sometimes become strained and these can be incredibly painful. Also the joints between the ribs and the vertebrae can at times become irritated.

Why Does The Back Become Painful?

Back pain is as old as the hills and it has an array of causes not all of which are easy to define but certainly modern life creates a whole range of reasons as to why your back might hurt that we can think about:

1. Poor Work Posture/Positioning: many people work in an office/at a desk in a very static position and this can cause a general irritation of the structures of the back that we have described above just simply from a lack of movement. One thing to consider is that your body (and your back is no different) and all of its joints like movement and being taken through a good range of motion regularly and being fixed in position for hours will eventually irritate these joints. Now, early on in your career, when you are younger being in a poor fixed position may not cause you any problems but as you grow a bit older the structures in your back such as your joints and the muscles start to protest and get irritated. 

2. Trauma: any kind of impact or jarring around the back can irritate one of the joints or ligaments in the back and cause back pain. Sports that involve physical contact such as boxing or rugby can often cause back pain after any impact.

3. Age: as with most conditions affecting the human body, age does unfortunately play a role in back pain. As we age the structures in our back get more worn and the disks and cartilage between the joints gets thinner and this means they can get irritated and become painful.

What is our Physiotherapy Service for Back Pain in Sutton Coldfield?

We are a home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield but serving anywhere within a 20 minute drive which includes areas such as Sutton Coldfield. We offer a comprehensive at home physiotherapy service treating a wide range of conditions. For help with back pain in Sutton Coldfield one of our physiotherapists will visit the patient at home, complete an assessment and provide manual therapy and exercises at home. We find this to be very successful at reducing and treating the causes of back pain. 

What will Happen when the Physiotherapist Treats my Back Pain in Sutton Coldfield?

A common question that I get when discussing with patients how our physiotherapy service could help with their back pain is: "what will it involve?" This is a very reasonable question as most patients will not have had treatment at their home in Sutton Coldfield for their back pain before. In general, after booking an appointment (either via phone or email) one of our physiotherapists will visit the patient at home in Sutton Coldfield. The session usually begins with a chat to discuss the problem, find out what irritates the issue, how long it has been going on, to discuss any past medical history and finally to consider any goals for treatment. After this the physiotherapist will complete a full physical assessment which will look at range of movement, strength and flexibility. It will also involve the physiotherapist palpating (touching) various body areas for example the low back to determine if they are sensitive or tight etc. The physio will then discuss what the issue is that they have identified as being the cause of the back pain and treatment options. After this treatment will commence which will usually involve some manual therapy such as massage to alleviate any muscular pain. Finally the physiotherapist will give the patient a series of exercises and stretches aimed at reducing their back pain and getting them back to full fitness. The physiotherapist will have a plinth (massage table) with them upon which any therapy will take place. For more detail about this please have a look at our FAQs.

What if I need a Scan for my Back Pain?

In one of our previous physiotherapy blogs I went into a fair amount of detail about whether someone with back pain is likely to need a scan or not and for a comprehensive look at this topic click here. However, if our physiotherapist assesses you and then believes that there is a good reason that you need a scan for your back pain then they will discuss how best to make this referral. They will in general suggest one of the following options: a written letter to the GP detailing why it is advisable that you have a scan or if you have private medical insurance they can once you have authorisation make a direct referral to a private imaging provider. 

What if Physiotherapy Can't Help my Back Pain?

To be completely honest this is very rarely the case and in the vast majority of cases physiotherapy will be able to help you recover from your back pain in Sutton Coldfield. It may take time and perseverance but in general we have a very high success rate with helping people with back pain make a full recovery and keep fit once recovered. However, in some cases we may not be able to help or our physiotherapist may feel that the patient needs to see a doctor for an opinion. In this case our physiotherapist will be able to make a referral usually via a written letter detailing this issues involved.

Do You Have an example of Treating a Patient with Back Pain in Sutton Coldfield?

Absolutely we do and we have a large number of testimonials available via either our website or Facebook page detailing how effective we have been. One of the most common complaints that our patients in Sutton Coldfield seek help with is low back pain and our physiotherapists are experts in helping and treating patients with low back pain through a combination of hands on therapy and appropriate strengthening and stretching exercises. To see how the system works and how it might help you, it may be helpful to have a look at a case study of a patient in Sutton Coldfield with back pain.

In this case our patient - a female in her 50s felt a sharp pain in her low back whilst bending over and became rapidly incapacitated due to the pain. Our physiotherapist attended the patient's home in Sutton Coldfield, removing the need to struggle out of the house and make the injury worse. A full past medical history was taken and a comprehensive physical examination was undertaken to determine the underlying cause of the back pain and the best treatment and management plan. In this case the patient received hands on soft tissue massage to relieve pain in the muscles of the low back and a programme of exercises designed to strengthen the back muscles and enable the patient to make a full recovery. Over a period of a few weeks our physio attended several times until eventually the patient had made a full recovery and no longer needed the help of a chartered physiotherapist.

Okay, I hope that you have found this blog about physiotherapy for back pain in Sutton Coldfield helpful and have a better understanding of our physiotherapy servcie and the ways in which we can help. If you would like anymore information about how physiotherapy can help with back pain and if you or someone you know is suffering with low back pain in Sutton Coldfield, then get in touch, so that one of our physiotherapists can help get you back on the road to being pain free. We can be contacted via email: enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk or via phone 07884281623.