Lower Back Pain symptoms, causes and treatments

Tips from our pre-eminent physiotherapist Martin Haines

Martin Haines Managing Director of Mobilis Performance provides his treatment tips and a selection of products to aid in the rehabilitation of this injury.

What are the symptoms of Lower Back Pain?

The common symptoms of Lower Back Pain are:

• Pain
• Aching
• Restricted movement
• Stiffness

If the Lower Back Pain is sudden, a severe stabbing pain may be felt, which might subside quickly or persist. A more gradual onset of the symptoms of Lower Back Pain will start mildly, but may build up causing severe discomfort.

Many of the symptoms of Lower Back Pain are due to stiffness of the joints or muscle spasm of the muscles surrounding the spine.

What are the causes of Lower Back Pain?

The main cause of Lower Back Pain is any movement which places excessive stress or loading on the spine that can cause injury.

One of the most common causes of Lower Back Pain is from poor posture, which can be caused by being hunched over a PC or games console, driving position, wearing high heels and carrying heavy bags.

Types of sports, such as rowing, can also be caused by poor posture.

Poor posture puts the spine and pelvis in the wrong alignment, which causes the strain on the spinal joints and soft tissues related with Lower Back Pain. Poor posture reduces the effectiveness of the multifidus muscle and so the stability of the spine is often affected too.

Lower Back Pain is also caused from overload, for example, lifting an object or a cumulative overload, like repeated asymmetrical lifting or pulling as with rowing.

Who does Lower Back Pain affect?

Lower Back Pain can affect everyone, 80% of the population will experience lower back pain during their lives.

People with poor posture, such as those who work at desks for long periods of time, who drive long distances, wear high heels regularly, carry heavy bags or play on games onsoles are more susceptible to Lower Back Pain.

Lower Back Pain in sport especially affects rowers (less for those who skull as the sport is more symmetrical), javelin throwers and high jumpers. Tennis players can experience Lower Back Pain, especially after a high intensity training session practicing their serve.

What are the treatments for Lower Back Pain?

Treatment for Lower Back Pain mainly consists of paying attention to the cause of your Lower Back Pain.

Lumbar rolls, such as McKenzie lumbar rolls, can help to encourage correct posture while sitting and can be used in all kinds of situations.

Seat wedges and cushions also provide the same treatment for Lower Back Pain.

You should also take a look at the unique and effective PostureMinder that can also be used with a webcam to find your correct posture and remind you when you fall into a poor posture.

Massage products and heat therapy can also help to relieve the symptoms of Lower Back Pain.

A back support, such as the Vulkan Back Support, will provide additional support and cushioning to the back for Lower Back Pain.

For acute Lower Back Pain, try a back support that offers sufficient support to limit the speed of movement and so minimise the amount of pain.

As the acuteness wears off, movement is necessary to help the healing process of Lower Back Pain, so a supportive brace is helpful, but try and make sure movement is not too restricted at this time. 

For more information about Lower Back Pain, take a look at Treat Your Own Back.

You can also carry out mobilising exercises for stiff joints and nerve tissue to reduce muscle spasm and keep mobile.

If you experience sudden Lower Back Pain or have ongoing Lower Back Pain, you should seek medical advice from a healthcare professional.

Additional treatment tips:

• Always warm up and cool down and stretch thoroughly before and after taking part in any physical or sporting activity in order to reduce the risk of injury. Make sure your back is both strong and mobile, and work hard at your rehab if your back has been injured
• Try to avoid long periods of sitting, bending and heavy lifting. Vary your posture throughout the day and take regular breaks to reduce postural tension in the lower back
• At your desk, check that your chair provides adequate support for your lower back. Consider using a lumbar roll. Make sure your feet don’t dangle – use a footrest if necessary
• When gardening, consider using long-handled tools to help take the strain off your back