“It was only a niggle…”
This is what one of my recent back pain clients said during a consultation with me. Unfortunately, his “niggle” progressed into something far more severe and he is now aware that listening to your body and dealing with “niggles” before they worsen is a MUCH better approach to ending back pain!
His story began like a lot of my other clients.. Starting off as a bit of discomfort during or after activities such as sitting, exercising or when first getting up in the morning. “Not enough to make you want to call the GP but enough to make you move slightly awkwardly and make things like sitting a real chore”.
Over a period of 1-2 years his back would “flare up” every couple of months for no particular reason. “It was no great shakes because it would always settle down after a few days of rest and painkillers and I could carry on with life”…
Like a lot of people, he put his back pain down as a normal part of aging and felt too busy to decide on taking any real action to deal with the problem…
During a series of GP visits, the general take home message after each consultation (which normally took around 3 weeks to wait for) was to rest, take painkillers and that “it was his age”. So, he was right! But, the back pain wasn’t getting better. In fact, it was getting worse…
Finally, after consultation number 3 after a particularly bad “flare up”, his GP finally decided to try something different which was to refer him to the NHS for physiotherapy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be for another 8 weeks, meanwhile the back pain was getting more frequent and more severe and he was having to take days of work to manage his symptoms…
He eventually decided to seek out specialist help and came along for an evaluation at Instant Physio and is now happy with his results; a life which is more active, free from painkillers, not limited by pain or by fear of the back flaring up!
The morale of the story here is that if he had to “killed the monster while it was small” i.e. dealt with the back pain when he first started to notice his back pain, then it would have been 10x more straightforward and have cost him less many days spent laid up in bed due to severe back pain.
There is plenty you can do deal with your back pain before it snowballs in to something more severe and here are the 3 best things you can do…
Tips For When It Is “Only A Niggle”
1. Change your activities: think about your daily activities and think about what might be aggravating it… Moreoften than not it is sitting.. To reduce the load through your lower back break up periods of sitting every 20-30 minutes. If it is the gym which you think is aggravating it, look at changing one aspect of your training (do not change every aspect of your training otherwise it is impossible to work out what was causing it!).
2. Always stay hydrated: this is a simple one but often overlooked. This can hugely affect the ability for your back to be supple and flexible. Take on water regularly.
3. Keep active: back pain can be associated with not being active i.e. being in static positions for too long (this is true even in people who exercises regualrly). Try to make walking part of your daily routine, throw in some stretches to the end of your day or practice some early morning yoga (a great way to start the day!).
So there you have it, some quick and easy tips you can use to stop your “niggle” before it develops into anything more serious or life-limiting.
P.S. for people who want more tips on “how to end back pain” click here for a FREE report on ending back pain naturally, without taking painkillers.
If you are concerned about your back pain affecting your daily life OR you are concerned about someone you know with back pain then reach out by filling out this form so that we can help you… Click here >>> www.instantphysio.co.uk/cost-availabilty.