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Tips from our pre-eminent physiotherapist, Martin Haines

Martin Haines, Managing Director of Mobilis Performance, provides his treatment tips and a selection of products to aid in the rehabilitation of this injury.

What are the symptoms of Lower Back Pain?

If the lower back injury is sudden, a severe stabbing pain may be felt, which might subside quickly or persist. A more gradual onset starts mildly, but may build up causing severe discomfort.

Certain movements may be restricted with back injuries due to stiffness of the joints or muscle spasm of the muscles surrounding the spine.

As soon as possible, try and identify whether there is a biomechanical influence which may be causing the problem. Once that has been identified managing the cause is usually helpful.

What are the causes of Lower Back Pain?

Any movement which places excessive stress or loading on the spine can cause injury. It may be a sudden overload, for example, lifting an object or a cumulative overload, like repeated asymmetrical lifting or pulling as with rowing.

Lower back pain may also develop from a repeated poor posture or poor movement patterns, causing strain on the spinal joints and soft tissue. Poor posture reduces the effectiveness of the multifidus muscle and so the stability of the spine is often affected too. Rowers in particular suffer from these types of problems, especially if their posture is poor.

Who does Lower Back Pain affect?

Eighty per cent of the population will experience lower back pain during their lives. It especially affects rowers (less for those who skull as the sport is more symmetrical), and javelin throwers, high jumpers. Tennis players, can experience back pain, especially after a high intensity training session practicing their serve.

What are the treatments for Lower Back Pain?

• Mobilise any stiff joints
• Reduce muscle spasm
• Mobilise any relevant nerve tissue
• Keep as mobile as possible
• Avoid activities which increase your back pain
• Know when to refer on to a medical professional

Additional tips from Vulkan:

• Always warm up/cool down and stretch thoroughly before taking part in any physical or sporting activity in order to reduce the risk of injury. Make sure your back is both strong and mobile, and work hard at your rehab if your back has been injured
• Try to avoid long periods of sitting, bending and heavy lifting. Vary your posture throughout the day and take regular breaks to reduce postural tension in the lower back
• At your desk, check that your chair provides adequate support for your lower back. Consider using a lumbar roll. Make sure your feet don’t “dangle” – use a footrest if necessary
• When gardening, consider using long-handled tools to help take the strain off your back

Type of brace

For acute injuries, try a brace that offers sufficient support to limit the speed of movement and so minimise the amount of pain. As the acuteness wears off, movement is necessary to help the healing process, so a supportive brace is helpful, but try and make sure movement is not too restricted at this time.