FAQs

Recurrent Back Pain

Breaking the Cycle of Pain

Recurrent back pain often presents a persistent challenge, impacting work, leisure, and overall quality of life. Understanding the contributing factors and adopting effective management strategies are crucial steps towards breaking this cycle of pain and discomfort.

Recurrent Back Pain Incidence

A research study of 250 back pain suffers found that within 12 months after back pain recovery, 69% had a recurrence of an episode of low back pain. The median time to recurrence of an episode of low back pain was 139 days. Frequent exposure to awkward postures, longer time sitting (> 5 hours per day), and more than two previous episodes were predictive of recurrence episode. (da Silva et al 2019)

Understanding the Nature of Recurrent Low Back Pain

Characterised by episodes that reoccur over time, recurrent low back pain may initially stem from muscle strains or poor posture. However, its persistence often signals underlying issues such as muscle imbalances, age-related changes, or degenerative conditions.

A Physiotherapist's Approach to Assessment

A thorough assessment by a physiotherapist is the first step in addressing recurrent low back pain. This process typically includes an evaluation of your posture, movement, joint function, and muscle strength. In some instances, additional imaging like X-rays or MRIs may be necessary, but this is not always required.

Contemporary Pain Management Strategies

Pain management encompasses a range of strategies, from heat or cold therapy to over-the-counter medications. However, it's essential to consult with a spinal physiotherapist or doctor to determine the most suitable approach for your specific situation.

Lifestyle Modifications for Long-Term Relief

Adjusting your lifestyle can significantly reduce the recurrence of low back pain. This includes improving sleep quality, reducing prolonged sitting, and incorporating regular breaks into your daily routine.

Back Exercise: The Key to Strengthening and Flexibility

Tailored exercise programs designed by physiotherapists can strengthen core muscles, enhance flexibility, and correct muscle imbalances. Consistency and adherence to these exercises are vital for long-term relief.

The Importance of Posture and Ergonomics

Poor posture is a common factor in recurrent low back pain. Making ergonomic adjustments at work and maintaining proper posture can significantly alleviate back strain.

Mindfulness and Stress Management

Stress and anxiety can worsen low back pain. Techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises not only manage stress but also positively influence your overall experience of pain.

Weight Management: A Crucial Element

Maintaining a healthy weight is essential in managing recurrent low back pain, as excess weight adds extra strain on the spine. A balanced diet and regular physical activity are key components of effective weight management.

Regular Physical Activity for a Healthier Back

Incorporate activities such as walking, swimming, or cycling into your routine to improve overall fitness and spinal health. Choose exercises that are suitable for your specific condition.

Empowering Yourself Against Recurrent Back Pain

Overcoming recurrent low back pain requires a combination of professional guidance, targeted exercises, lifestyle changes, and stress management. Consistency and a commitment to long-term well-being are fundamental to success.

What to Do? Seek Professional Advice

If recurrent low back pain is affecting your life, consulting with a physiotherapist is a crucial step. Our physiotherapists at PhysioWorks can develop a personalised plan tailored to your unique needs and goals, guiding you towards long-term relief and improved quality of life.

Related Articles

1. Lower Back Pain - Understanding & Managing - Physio Tips: Offers insights into the prevalence of low back pain and various treatment success stories. It emphasises the importance of seeking professional advice for musculoskeletal disorders.
2. Back Pain Physiotherapy: Your Guide To What To Expect: Discusses the effectiveness of physiotherapy in managing back pain, covering treatments for disc-related injuries, back joint injuries, nerve-related injuries, pelvis-related injuries, and systemic diseases affecting the back​​.
3. Core Stability Training For Effective Low Back Pain Relief: Highlights the benefits of core stability training in reducing low back pain, including a discussion on recent research and the importance of a personalised core stability program​​.
4. Effective Back Exercises And Core Strength: Physio Insights: Provides information on exercises and core strength development for low back pain relief, emphasising the role of muscle injuries and core stability deficiency in causing pain.
5. Back Pain Prevention: Essential Tips From A Physiotherapist: Focuses on the role of exercise combined with education in reducing the risk of low back pain episodes, showcasing PhysioWorks' approach to tailored exercise programs for flexibility, strengthening, and postural control.
6. Pulled Back Muscle: Offers details on the terminology used to describe muscle and ligament injuries in the back, including diagnostic tools and treatment options.

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy

What conditions may be assisted by real-time ultrasound physiotherapy?

• Lower Back Pain - Transversus Abdominus & Multifidus
• Sciatica
• SIJ Pain / Pelvic Instability
• Pregnancy Back Pain
• Hip Pain - Gluteal tendinopathy
• Shoulder Pain - Rotator Cuff
• Knee Pain - VMO activation
• Foot Exercises - Flat Feet
• Core Exercises
• Pelvic Floor
• Pilates
• Dry Needling

Lower Back Pain

Ultrasound retraining your Core Stability Muscles has fantastic benefits for sufferers of low back pain. Researchers have investigated the benefits of ultrasound retraining since the 1990s. They have discovered that your chances of not experiencing another bout of low back pain (LBP) within 12 months are 4.4 times better if you have undertaken an ultrasound-guided exercise program: 70% vs 16%.

Its effectiveness also lasts. After three years, you still have a 2 in 3 chance of not experiencing LBP if you did the exercises. Hides et al. (2001).

More info: Lower Back Pain

Sciatica

Ultrasound retraining of your Core Stability Muscles has fantastic benefits for sciatica sufferers. Since the vast majority of sciatica is caused by sciatic nerve pinching in the low lumbar spine, a treatment that helps your back will almost always alleviate sciatica.

More info: Sciatica

SIJ Dysfunction

The Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) should be a reasonably stiff or rigid link between the pelvic bones. In some people, the SIJ has too much uncontrolled motion due to trauma or just extra mobility. This new motion allows the joint to adopt an unusual position, which may result in pain.

Through their attachments to the iliac bones, the transversus abdominis (TA) and oblique abdominals help the pelvis's closure and improve the sacroiliac joints' position, control, and stability.

Researchers have discovered that the contraction of the TA muscle significantly stiffens and supports the sacroiliac joint. This improvement is more significant than that caused by an abdominal bracing action using all the lateral abdominal muscles. (Richardson et al. 2002)

More info: SIJ Pain

Pelvic Floor Retraining

Strong pelvic floor muscles are essential for men and women. Women have been encouraged to exercise their pelvic floor muscles for decades, but now we understand that it is just as vital for men. Research has found that a durable pelvic floor improves:

• Incontinence (urine dribbling)
• post-childbirth (women)
• post-prostatectomy (men)
• erectile dysfunction (Uni of Bristol study, 2004)
• sexual sensations and enjoyment (Impotence Association, UK)

More info: Pelvic floor

Pelvis Instability

Some people are born a little more flexible than the rest of us. Usually, these people have poor muscle tone in their deep, stabilising muscles. The transversus abdominis is the most important muscle that holds the two halves of the pelvis together. Core stability retraining will improve your deep core muscle control, which dynamically stabilises your pelvis, SIJ and lumbar spine.

More info: Pelvic Instability

Pregnancy or Post-Childbirth Back Pain

Carrying a child is a physically demanding task. The baby's weight places continual pressure on the pelvic floor muscles and stretches the lower abdominal muscles.

Birth trauma involves further stretching of the pelvic floor muscles and sometimes tearing. Hence, the pelvic floor muscles and the transversus abdominis become weak, stretched and inhibited. A hormone called "relaxin" is released through your body during the months before and post-delivery. Relaxin softens the pelvic ligaments, enabling the pelvis joints to stretch for delivery. This elasticity means the transversus muscle must work even harder to stabilise the pelvis and lumbar spine.

The good news is that Ultrasound Retraining is very safe for the unborn child. The ultrasound equipment is the same as that your Obstetrician uses for routine pregnancy scans.

Caesarian births have additional complications due to cutting muscle layers and, in some cases, nerves. We highly recommend US retraining following a Caesarian delivery.

More info: Pregnancy Back Pain

Post Abdominal Surgery

Abdominal and pelvic surgery involves cutting through the muscle layers. Along with post-operative pain, muscle trauma changes the core stability muscles' ability to work efficiently. As with other muscle cuts, your Transversus Abdominis, in particular, needs to be strengthened post-operatively. Otherwise, it will almost certainly remain permanently weak.

The lower part of the transversus muscle fibres is separated (such as in appendix removal or caesarean births). Because of this, you need to retrain the muscle to learn how to use it again correctly.

Pre-Pilates, Yoga, Gym & Exercise Programs

Exercise programs that aim to develop your core strength can often do just the opposite. The most common reason for injury and back pain is incorrect muscle recruitment timing. Pilates, Yoga, gym strengthening, and other exercise forms place high demands on your core stability system. Suppose the core muscle recruitment order is abnormal. Your chance of injury increases in proportion with the exercise difficulty.

Research has identified that the order of core muscle recruitment is the most critical factor in preventing or resolving pain.

Remember, if you build a skyscraper on a weak foundation, it will eventually topple. The same goes for your core stability muscles. Recruit the deeper muscles before your superficial layers, just like adding floors to a sturdy skyscraper and your back will be healthy and pain-free forever.

More info: Pilates

"Pot Belly" Syndrome

"Pot Belly" - or whatever you wish to call it, is a cosmetic problem related to your lower stomach muscles.

Some people have lax lower stomach muscles. No matter how hard you pull in your tummy, the lower part doesn't pull in. Ultrasound retraining is a valid alternative to cosmetic surgery.

The problem is that the transversus abdominis muscle has stopped working effectively, and the upper abdominal muscles dominate. Hence as you attempt to pull in your stomach muscles, the upper stomach muscles suck in, but the lower part doesn't. The result is a "Pot Belly"."Pot Belly" is a common problem post-pregnancy.

With Ultrasound Retraining, you can learn to draw in your lower tummy muscles and solve your "Pot Belly" forever!

Real-Time Ultrasound Clinics

• Ashgrove PhysioWorks
• Sandgate PhysioWorks

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy FAQs

• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy
• What Conditions Are Assisted By Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy?
• Is Ultrasound Physiotherapy The Whole Solution For Lower Back Pain?
• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy: What To Expect?
• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy Clinics - Brisbane
• Lower Back Pain

Ultrasound Physiotherapy

A Potential New Hope for Lower Back Pain Sufferers

Introduction

Are you battling with persistent lower back pain? Ultrasound physiotherapy might be the solution you've been looking for. With research studies showing a 70% success rate in preventing the recurrence of lower back pain, this innovative approach is changing lives.

The Power of Ultrasound Physiotherapy

Ultrasound physiotherapy stands out for its effectiveness in not only treating but also preventing lower back pain. One study revealed that patients who underwent ultrasound physiotherapy had a 4.4 times higher chance of avoiding repeat back pain within a year compared to those who didn’t. What's more, 65% of these patients didn’t experience another bout of pain in the following three years.

What is Ultrasound Physiotherapy?

Ultrasound physiotherapy uses sound waves to provide a real-time view of your muscles and joints. This technique enables physiotherapists to diagnose and treat lower back pain more accurately. It's a non-invasive, pain-free method that can significantly improve your recovery process.

Is Ultrasound the Complete Solution?

While ultrasound physiotherapy is highly effective, it's part of a broader treatment plan. Your physiotherapist will combine it with other techniques like manual therapy, exercises, and education about back care to ensure a holistic recovery.

What to Expect During Treatment

During an ultrasound physiotherapy session, you'll experience a detailed examination of your lower back. The physiotherapist will use a handheld device to glide over your skin, providing a clear image of the underlying muscles and tissues. This process helps in identifying the exact cause of your pain and tailoring a precise treatment plan.

Consulting a Physiotherapist

If you're considering ultrasound physiotherapy, consult a qualified physiotherapist with real-time ultrasound available in their clinic. They can assess whether this treatment is suitable for your specific condition.

PhysioWorks Real Time Ultrasound Clinics

• Ashgrove PhysioWorks
• Sandgate PhysioWorks

Conclusion

Ultrasound physiotherapy offers a promising path to relief for those suffering from lower back pain. Its non-invasive nature and high success rate make it a preferred choice for many.

What to Do?

If you're experiencing lower back pain, don't wait. Book an appointment with a physiotherapist trained in real-time ultrasound therapy. Early intervention can prevent chronic issues and help you get back to your pain-free life faster.

Related Articles

• Understanding Lower Back Pain: Causes and Solutions
• Effective Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief
• Your Guide to Managing Chronic Back Pain

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy FAQs

• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy
• What Conditions Are Assisted By Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy?
• Is Ultrasound Physiotherapy The Whole Solution For Lower Back Pain?
• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy: What To Expect?
• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy Clinics - Brisbane

Back Pain Info

• Common Causes of Back Pain
• Back Pain Products & FAQs

Ultrasound Retraining: Is it the Whole Back Pain Cure?

Back Pain is Multifactorial

Lower back pain is a complex condition, especially if it has been present for some time. Retraining the Transversus Abdominis and Multifidus are significant milestones in the road to recovery. It is, however, often not the whole solution.

Depending on your needs, a comprehensive rehabilitation program will be designed for you by your physiotherapist. Your rehabilitation will probably require other interventions in addition to the Transversus Abdominis and Multifidus and core strengthening exercises. These techniques may include joint mobilisation, lumbopelvic alignment techniques, massage, muscle releases and stretches, leg and arm strengthening, posture correction and various other modalities to reduce your pain.

Your physiotherapist will discuss your treatment options specific to your needs during your consultation.

Real Time Ultrasound Clinic Bookings

• Ashgrove PhysioWorks
• Sandgate PhysioWorks

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy FAQs

• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy
• What Conditions Are Assisted By Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy?
• Is Ultrasound Physiotherapy The Whole Solution For Lower Back Pain?
• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy: What To Expect?
• Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy Clinics - Brisbane

More Back Pain Info

• Lower Back Pain
• Most Common Causes of Back Pain
• What Is The Best Treatment for Lower Back Pain?

Back Pain Products & FAQs

• Back Pain Products & FAQs

Back Pain Treatment: The Role of Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy

Introduction

Back pain, particularly in the lower region, is a common ailment affecting a significant portion of the population. In our quest to provide the most effective treatment, Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy emerges as a game-changer.

What is Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy?

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy (RTUP) is a cutting-edge technique that uses ultrasound technology to visualise muscles and other soft tissues in real time. This approach allows physiotherapists to accurately assess and treat conditions affecting the lower back.

Benefits of Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy

RTUP offers a non-invasive, pain-free method to diagnose and treat back pain. By visualising the affected area, physiotherapists can tailor their treatment more effectively. This method is particularly beneficial for conditions like muscle strains, ligament sprains, and chronic back issues.

A Physiotherapist’s Perspective

From a professional standpoint, RTUP provides a clear advantage in diagnosing and managing lower back pain. It enables a targeted approach, ensuring that the treatment is as effective as possible.

Latest Research and Advancements

Recent studies have shown that RTUP significantly improves the outcome of physiotherapy treatments for lower back pain. It helps in faster diagnosis, leading to quicker and more effective treatment plans.

Patient Experiences and Success Stories

Many patients have reported substantial relief from back pain after undergoing RTUP. Their stories highlight the effectiveness of this method in providing long-term solutions to back pain.

What to Do?

If you're experiencing lower back pain, it's crucial to consult with a professional physiotherapist. They can assess your condition and determine if RTUP is the right approach for your treatment.

Conclusion

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy represents a significant advancement in the treatment of lower back pain. It combines the latest technology with the expertise of skilled physiotherapists to provide effective, personalised care.

Real Time Ultrasound Clinic Bookings

Ashgrove PhysioWorks: Phone 33664221

Sandgate PhysioWorks: Phone 32691122

Related Articles from PhysioWorks

• Ultrasound Guided Physiotherapy for Lower Back Pain
• Why Choose Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy?
• Comprehensive Guide to Lower Back Pain Treatment
• What Conditions Are Assisted By Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy?
• Is Ultrasound Physiotherapy The Whole Solution For Lower Back Pain?

What Are The Best Core Exercises?

Your deep core stability muscles retraining uses specific low-level activation exercises. While a very skilled physiotherapist training in deep core activation can observe and palpate for the correct muscle contraction, the best way is to see them working on a real-time ultrasound scan.

Real-Time Ultrasound Physiotherapy guidance allows you to see how your muscles are contracting in real-time. This visual feedback will enable you to correct your specific deep core muscles inside your stomach, lower back, and pelvic floor as you attempt to contract those muscles.

Beware of  Advanced “Core Stability” Exercises!

The fitness industry is full of fitness instructors who profess to know how to activate your core stability muscles. Unfortunately, the wrong core exercises will do you harm. Most progress your core exercises far too quickly and bypass these critical muscles to strengthen your outer abdominal muscles further and leave your deep core muscles weak. Research evidence has found that this renders you vulnerable to lower back pain and injury.

Core Stability Info

• Which are the Deep Core Stability Muscles?
• What is a Core Stability Deficiency?
• What is Your Core Stability Score?
• What are the Best Core Stability Exercises?
• What’s the Link Between Pilates and Core Stability?
• How Does Real Time Ultrasound Retraining Help Your Core Stability?

More info:

• Lower Back Pain
• Most Common Causes of Back Pain
• What Is The Best Treatment for Lower Back Pain?
• Back Pain FAQs