8 out of 10 people are thought to suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Our backs are normally incredibly strong, but irritation to any of the structures in or around the spine can be incredibly painful.
Any damage or irritation to the muscles, ligaments, discs or small joints in the back will cause a variety of back pain symptoms, from sharp stabbing pains (from sitting to standing), restricted movement (particularly bending forward ie putting on socks), to low level aching and stiffness, particularly in the morning.
Irritation to the nerves exiting the spine in the low back can lead referred pain in the legs in the form of pain, pins and needles, numbness or weakness. Pain to the front of the thigh is often due to femoral nerve compression, pain to the back of the leg due to sciatic (sciatica) nerve compression and irritation.
In the mid back you may have a burning feeling that builds as the day progresses, of feel sharp stabbing pains when you take a deep breath.
Back pain treatment would typically involve techniques to “off load” the structures in the back to reduce the irritation and inflammation, whilst also treating the rest of the spine to reduce any abnormal loading that is going through the area. This helps reduce the chance of the problem returning, and to speed up recovery.
