If you are suffering from back pain you are not alone.
The World Health Organisation predicts that 60-70% of the western world will suffer from back pain during each persons lifetime. And in the UK 31 million work days were lost to back pain in 2013.
It is endemic and is a result in part to our more sedentary lifestyles.
As a previous sufferer of back pain and two herniated discs from playing sport Hugo knows how debilitating back pain can be. At Osteopathy Partnership Hugo Firth, a qualified GOsc registered Osteopath, will perform specific diagnostic tests to determine whether your back pain is discogenic (from your discs) or muscular or due to facet inflammation. Based on these findings he will recommend a specific course of treatment with the aim of returning you back to health and pain free activity as soon as possible.
Treating back pain in Kingston & Surbiton
Why do we get back pain?
This is too broad a question as we can have back pain due to any number of reasons from cancer or an aortic anuerism to menstruation and an abscess.
More specifically here we are talking about Lower Mechanical Back Pain. You may have been told by your GP that you have this. It used to be referred to as Lumbago. You may have received Physiotherapy or just been soldering on using more and more pain killers. If you are reading this, chances are you are still in pain.
There are many views as to why back pain is so prevalent in the Western World. One view focuses on our modern day lifestyle and activity.
As we evolved into bipedal animals we were optimised to be upright and mobile. Today, in the 21st century, we spend most of our day sitting down. Often with our arms forward either driving, typing, designing, watching TV, commuting, cycling. Our heads are often forwards, shoulders rounded and upper back bent. this predisposes us to upper back pack, shoulder and neck pain. It also increases the work load on our lower back muscles and joints. Being seated also increases the load on our intervetebral discs.
Even if we take exercise for two to three hours a week that is still nothing compared to the 50-60 hours a week we tend to spend seated.
Long periods of hip flexion (sitting) has two main effects on our bodies. Our hip flexors (psoas and iliopsoas) become shortened and contracted and our posterior postural muscles become longer and weakened. This can cause a tilting forward of our pelvis and an increased curve in our lower backs known as an increased Lordosis.
This increased Lordosis increases the compression going through our lumbar vertebrae and our discs. Thus increasing the chances of back pain.
Treating Back Pain
Hugo is a qualified and registered Osteopath and he combines this with 3D Functional movement developed by the Gray Institute of Functional Exercise Therapy. The result is highly effective therapeutic treatments for your back pain with exercise programmes that really help increase your mobility and reduce pain. Hugo takes the time to explain exactly why the pain has occurred in the first place and why the unique exercises are going to help.
Personal Videos
He will video you doing the unique exercises so you have a record of them when you leave the clinic.
You can then access his YouTube channel and refer to similar exercises and video resources to help you in the future.
