World Physiotherapy Day 2024

On World Physiotherapy Day (8 September), we celebrate and recognize the important role physios play in the management of Lower Back Pain.

Anthony, a Grade 2 Physiotherapist in our Outpatient AMP Clinic, says that lower back pain is a multi factorial condition, and it is valuable to complete a detailed assessment.

 

“There’s a range of different things that can occur physically, such as soft tissue injury, and then it can be compounded by various psychological and social factors.

 

Typically, most episodes of back pain are caused by some sort of injury, if you put a demand on your back that it’s not quite used to, if you lift something heavier than you’re normally used to, or if you lift in a way that your body hasn’t adapted towards lifting.”

 

Anthony says that maintaining physical activity and keeping a generally healthy lifestyle is one way of preventing lower back pain. 

 

“A common misconception is that lower back pain is more likely to occur the older that you get. While it is at its highest peak, around working age, 40s-50s, it can essentially affect anyone of all ages.”

 

Whilst lower back pain is quite common, and almost everyone will experience it at some time in their lives, it is chronic for only a minority of people.

 

“We normally consider something to be chronic, when it lasts for more than three months. We don’t know exactly why some people experience chronic pain, but we do have tools that can identify those who are more at risk of developing chronic pain.”

 

“We can use questionnaires, identifying certain risk factors that patients would have and then we can give them more detailed interventions and spend more time with them to help prevent that.”