PROBLEM
Back and spine
Understanding how your back moves.
Neck.
Between the shoulder blades.
Lower back.
Sacrum.
Gluteal muscle.
Pain radiating down the leg.
Back pain can manifest in many different ways, and not all of them mean the same thing.
When the pain is here
Neck pain
Stiffness, strain, loss of mobility or a neck that keeps getting strained time and time again.
Upper back pain
Tension between the shoulder blades, stiff ribs or that area between the shoulder blades that so many people point to without being able to name it precisely.
Lower back pain
From a recent strain to lower back pain that has been affecting movement, work or rest for months.
Disc protrusion and herniation
If you have an MRI scan, we’ll take this into account alongside your symptoms, the physical examination and how your body is functioning.
Sacral, gluteal and false sciatica
Pain radiating down the leg can follow different pathways.
The deep gluteal region, the pelvis and the sacrum also warrant assessment when the clinical picture suggests it.
When symptoms recur or are related
What if they keep coming back?
When the problem improves and then returns, it is worth noting what changes between one episode and the next.
It may also be worthwhile to broaden the assessment and examine load, movement and other areas that may be involved.
What if it’s related to the abdomen or digestion?
In some people, problems with the upper back or lumbar spine are linked to issues with the abdomen, digestion or breathing.
When this happens, it is worth looking at this connection in a little more detail.
That is why there is a specific section dedicated to this.
The aim
The idea is that you can find what you’re looking for straight away, without having to trawl through an encyclopaedia of medical conditions.
Your back is there to help you move, not to keep you thinking about it all day long.