More and more Europeans are facing problems of low back pain in modern times. It is a very insidious condition as it can develop without any previous muscle damage. Such pain often goes away on its own within a few weeks - but there is a good chance that such non-specific low back pain can lead to chronic problems if not properly treated.
Low back pain at Medicofit is treated in the Spine Unit. More and more patients are coming to us for low back pain, which is becoming a modern epidemic in Europe. Sudden low back pain, which is experienced by 80% of individuals, usually resolves within 2-3 weeks, however, approximately 21% of all low back pain develops into chronic spinal problems accompanied by pathologies such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis, spinal arthrosis, sciatica and joint arthritis.
Low back pain can develop without previous muscle damage and spinal pathologies, in which case it is non-specific low back pain caused by stress, prolonged sitting or muscle spasms, which resolves within a few weeks. It is important to realise that non-specific low back pain is often the start of chronic spinal problems and can lead to sciatica if not treated properly.
Low back pain can occur in isolation in the lumbar spine and often radiates to the pelvis, but complications are also possible in the form of pain spreading to the buttocks and burning pain of neurological origin spreading down the leg to the knee or to the foot.
When low back pain is accompanied by tingling in the leg, pain in the buttocks or numbness in the lower limbs, we advise a diagnostic examination within 5 days of the onset of the symptoms described above. If low back pain accompanied by sciatica is suspected, acute physiotherapy, centralisation of the pain to the spine and neurodynamic exercises to release the nerve causing the tightness should be started.
The most common mistake patients make when experiencing severe low back pain is to visit their GP and choose physiotherapy on referral. This often wastes valuable time waiting several months for a physiotherapy programme to start, during which time there is a risk of progression of symptoms and the development of constant chronic low back pain that limits normal life.
What is the correct physiotherapy treatment for low back pain ?
The most important thing to be aware of when low back pain occurs is that the spine will need to be strengthened, stabilised and its load-bearing capacity increased. Physiotherapy that is based solely on manual therapy, devices and targets only the reduction of symptoms does not offer a long-lasting solution for the patient.
At the Medicofit clinic for low back pain, we advocate a holistic treatment that is carried out in three phases:



