Back Pain

Helping the Community of Putney stay Aligned!

Almost everyone gets back pain at some time in their life. However its doesn't need to a life sentence. Our team will firstly examine the area to understand the cause of the problem and then provide effective treatment / guidance to help.

What are the common causes of back pain?

Poor posture may lead to back pain. Your chiropractor at this clinic may advise you to make postural changes if you:

Drive long distances in car, van or lorry

Sleep in a bed that is too hard or soft

Spend hours a day sitting at a desk computer or in front of the TV

Find yourself hunching your back and shoulders in stressful situations

Daily activities, such as bending, driving, lifting, twisting and repetitive movements may result in a ‘bad back’. This is why your chiropractor will want to understand how you tackle these everyday movements. He/she will also ask about any major traumas to your back such as: car accidents falls sporting injuries lifting heavy weights.

Treatment for Back Pain

Making an accurate diagnosis, explaining a specific individual treatment plan is crucial to solving back pain quickly as the treatment for different sorts of back pain is not the same.

Stiff joints benefit from gentle manipulation or mobilisation to loosen them up; muscle spasms get better quickest with specialist techniques and disc bulges improve with techniques and specific advice on daily activities.

At Live Free you have the best of all worlds as we have chiropractors and massage therapists working with you to solve your back pain.

Causes of Sciatica

The cause of sciatica is often a bulging disc, sometimes called a slipped disc, herniated disc or prolapsed disc. The bulging disc in the lower back presses on the sciatic nerve as it comes out of the spine on its journey down the back of the leg. Fortunately, it can usually be treated easily with the techniques we use here at Live Free which speeds up the healing process.

Muscle spasm can also cause sciatica. If a particular muscle in the buttock, called the piriformis muscle, goes into spasm then the sciatic nerve can be pinched as it passes close by. This is often called Piriformis Syndrome. The pain is the same as sciatica caused by a disc bulge but the treatment is easier and recovery quicker.

Sciatica symptoms are often described as:

Deep burning or electric type pain in the buttock/leg/Calf/foot

Often accompanied by numbness, tingling and funny sensations on the skin

Foot and ankle muscles can often go weak which can prevent you from walking on your toes or heels

Rarely, this can become permanent so prompt action is a good idea.

Treatment for Sciatica

Early treatment for sciatica is recommended as the longer it goes on the harder treatment gets and the less likely as a successful outcome is.

Some people start their journey with pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication from the GP which can be helpful, at Live Free, this is backed up with disc decompression techniques and spinal mobilisation. Along with proven exercises to help with your "home treatment" programme we guide, help you with your symptoms.

Sciatica can take months to go but early expert treatment can speed up the process and make get you back to normal as fast as possible. With the right care, surgery or other invasive procedures can often be avoided.

As with other sorts of back pain an accurate diagnosis is important so that you get the right treatment. It might seem that an X-ray or MRI scan is a good idea to show what the problem is. Unfortunately, this has not usually shown to be the case. The discs and nerves don’t show up on X-rays and MRI scans often don’t help pinpoint the cause of the pain or improve the treatment. The most important thing is a thorough examination by an expert in back problems.

Solutions to Back Pain

At Live Free Putney we treat back pain with an effective step by step programme to help you rebuild a strong and healthy back so you can lead an active life again.

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