Get Relief from Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain

Low back pain (Lumbago) is one of the most common conditions we see at Ace Sports Clinics, with up to 80% of adults suffering from lower back pain in their lives. The prevalence rate for children and adolescents is lower than that seen in adults but is rising. (World Health Organization)

Recurrences in back pain are also common. This is why a comprehensive plan for not only recovery but also prevention is important. Our Ace Client Care Plans provide lasting solutions for your back pain. Overseen by one of our Ace Certified Practitioners, you will have the benefit of a highly collaborative team working with you including Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Chiropractors and Exercise Specialists.

Have you ever had low back pain and felt like you’ve been treated like a ‘textbook’ and given a recipe?

We understand that each person’s experience of low back pain is different, which is why we provide each client with an individualised plan and specialist treatment based on their unique needs. We appreciate that each episode of low back pain is distinct and requires listening, empathy & understanding before a successful outcome can be obtained. Our Ace Certified Practitioners will ask you all the appropriate questions to find out exactly what happened, why and how. This then allows us to devise a solution just for you. 

Our Ace Certified Practitioners who are highly trained in Back Pain Relief can perform the following to help you:

• Assessment of your back, posture & movement to identify causative structures
• Soft tissue treatment to muscles to relieve tension, stress and muscle spasm
• Advanced Dry needling for pain relief and to decrease muscle tension through the elimination of any trigger points that can radiate and cause pain
• Spinal manipulation to reduce pain, stiffness and increase your mobility
• Identify any muscle imbalances through functional and strength testing
• Prescribe strengthening, stretching & mobility exercises to improve your movement and prevent recurrences
• Collaboration of our multidisciplinary healthcare team to evaluate & improve all aspects of your health & wellbeing

What types of back pain do we treat?

We treat both acute and chronic low back pain for all age groups. Whether your back pain has come on from sitting too much in the office, sleeping in an uncomfortable position or from a bump during your football match over the weekend, we can help you.

Acute Back Pain

Acute Back Pain can be brought on by an injury or a sudden movement such as lifting too much or gardening for too long when your body isn’t used to it.  If your low back pain is acute, the key is to help you get comfortable and keep moving as this helps with your recovery. A very short period of relative rest (less than 48 hours) can be helpful for acute low back pain but lying down longer than a day or two isn’t helpful for relieving back pain as you can lose 20 to 30 percent of your muscle strength in a week. You can recover more quickly without any bed rest and the sooner you start moving, and return to gentle activities such as walking, the faster your acute low back pain will recover. We will provide you with a complete diagnosis, the latest evidence-based advice and a clear plan to get you back to doing the activities you love in the quickest time. We will also help you identify the factors that caused the back pain and make a plan to prevent it in the future.

Acute episode of your Chronic Back Pain

You may have had a history of problems with your back, and something has flared it up again. We will listen to your story and provide you with solutions for the immediate pain and also exercises that will improve your mobility, strength and function. With treatment and the right exercise program we can help decrease the frequency and intensity of your recurrent episodes.  All Ace Certified Practitioners work as a collaborative team so may also recommend another team member who can complement your particular needs.

For example, stress & muscle tension maybe a causative factor for your low back pain. In this case you may see one of our Physiotherapists or Osteopaths for an initial assessment & diagnosis, but your Ace Client Care Plan will also include some treatment sessions with one of our registered massage therapists to address your specific muscle tension and spasm.  Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga type exercises may also be appropriate in this case to get the best result for you.

Chronic or Persistent Back Pain

Ongoing back pain that has been present for longer than 3 months.  

Chronic, low back pain can be influenced by many factors including genetics, sleep quality, occupation, posture, obesity and stress. Chronic pain in the low back often involves a disc problem, a joint problem, and/or an irritated nerve root.

Chronic low back pain has been associated with neurochemical, structural, and functional cortical changes of several regions of the brain including the somatosensory cortex. Complex processes of peripheral and central sensitization may influence the evolution of acute to chronic pain. Due to the complex nature of Chronic Low back pain, a team approach is essential.  Collaboration of our multidisciplinary team has helped many clients achieve best results through pain relief and resumption of daily activities. Our multidisciplinary approach includes treating the physical, psychological, emotional, and socio professional aspects of your back pain. 

Exercise has been shown to have beneficial effects for the management of chronic low back pain and is highly recommended.  

Our team will prescribe the best exercises specifically for you and help you understand ‘why’ you are performing each exercise. A combination of core strengthening, targeting the deep abdominal and back muscles that support your spine, like transversus abdominus, multifidus and the pelvic floor muscles has been shown to help stabilize and control segmental movements of the spine. These exercises when performed correctly with breathing, improve neuromuscular control & bring pain relief. In addition to core strengthening, our exercise professionals may prescribe other strengthening, mobility and endurance exercises tailored to reduce your low back pain and help you get back to the activities you enjoy. A consistent, long-term plan will yield best results for you.

What can cause back pain?

Below are some of the common causes of back pain that we see.

Poor Posture

Good posture is important for optimal human movement. With the increased use of computers, smartphones and tablets we are seeing more back pain from repetitive poor posture. Our clients range from young students playing video games to office workers sitting at poorly designed desks working for hours. This sustained low-load, long duration stress can lead to chronic changes through repetitive microtrauma. Some symptoms of poor posture include muscle aches and pain, restricted neck rotation, mid and low back pain and headaches and tingling. Everyday activities can become painful and recently sitting has been identified “as the new smoking” based on the adverse long term effects it can have on our bodies.

Through helping you develop self-awareness of what is good posture, training you to perform all your daily activities with proper posture and strengthening the correct muscles we can help relieve your back pain, release stress and improve your productivity.

Back muscle strain or ligament sprain

A back strain or sprain can happen suddenly or develop slowly over time from repetitive movements. Fatigue, heavy lifting or poor form can lead to muscle pain and spasm. Sports that involve twisting or large forces of impact can result in torn back muscles or over-stretching of the back or pelvic ligaments. This can lead to pain, swelling and restrictions of movement.  

A correct diagnosis, proper acute care, massage & restoration of joint and muscle movement leads to a quicker rehabilitation & return to daily activities / sport.

Lumbar prolapse or herniated disc

You would have likely heard of the term “slipped disc” or “bulging disc” which often refers to a disc prolapse in the spine. Between each vertebral bone we have intervertebral discs that act like shock absorbers for our spine. Made up of an inner jelly-like center with a high water content (nucleus pulposus), and an outer fibrous part (annulus fibrosus), our discs rely on good movement at each spinal segment to get their nutrition & remain healthy. A disc prolapse can occur when the inner nucleus protrudes through the outer annulus. This can irritate or impinge a nearby nerve root. Some herniated discs cause minimal symptoms while others can result in local pain, asymmetrical posture, altered gait and / or numbness, tingling or weakness that can radiate down an arm or leg. 

Sciatica

Sciatica, or leg pain, that can radiate along the sciatic nerve, from the buttocks, down the back of the leg, may occur with or without back pain. Sciatica is often caused by a disc prolapse or herniation, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) or spondylosis (degenerative disc disease or spinal osteoarthritis). Other causes of sciatica can include nerve entrapment (e.g. Piriformis syndrome in which a buttock muscle can compress the sciatic nerve) and inflammation from arthritis, spondylolisthesis or infection.

Facet joint sprain

Each intervertebral segment has two facet joints that guide our spinal motion. The orientation of these joints determines how each part of our spine moves. These synovial joints of our spine are located behind each intervertebral disc and are surrounded by a capsule that has a rich nerve supply. Facet joint pain can either be of sudden or gradual onset. Typically, with this type of mechanical back pain, there may be an increase in loading or an awkward twisting or jarring which precedes pain. Most cases of facet joint sprain will lead to pain, stiffness and a decrease in motion of the joint.