Affecting four out of five people at some stage, lower backache (often referred to as Lumbago) is one of the most common complaints treated by osteopaths.

Based on your mechanism of injury, at Chhabra Osteopathy, our team of osteopaths will consider your back pain symptoms and offer an accurate clinical diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan to help alleviate your back pain fast.

It is important to most people to find a local clinician who has experience in the treatment of acute back pain, who offers caring, affordable treatment and can get you back to full fitness as soon as possible.

At our three clinics around Surrey and South West London, Chhabra Osteopathy can offer convenient locations for the treatment of backache and we can usually find you an appointment within 24 hours. We also offer appointments outside of regular working hours, with early and late slots offered, as well as a Saturday clinic, so can cater for most busy peoples’ timetables. For convenience, you can even book on-line.

Causes of Back Pain

Very often, back pain is caused by straining musculo-skeletal structures in the back (muscles, ligaments, joints, etc.). Although often painful, most of these cases are not serious if treated appropriately and quickly, and usually respond to osteopathic treatment. Whatever the cause, our insurance company registered team will be able to offer help and advice – often encouraging patients to adopt a self-help regimen of home exercises to speed up recovery.

Your osteopath will always complete a case history (questionnaire) about your condition, examine your spine, and include some more medical tests if necessary to ensure that osteopathy is the correct and appropriate treatment for you (e.g. test your reflexes, blood tests, etc.).

Before applying the gentle osteopathic techniques your osteopath will discuss your condition, explain the problem including the treatment and plan to help improve and resolve it. Exercises and advice on lifestyle and posture are often given when indicated.

Whether your back pain is coming from disc, joint, bone, muscle, or ligament, it is important that the treatment you receive results is a swift resolution to your pain. Quick relief is top of most peoples list.

It may be simple to avoid repetitive episodes, as back pain can be triggered by bad posture while sitting or standing, bending awkwardly, or lifting incorrectly. Your osteopath can give you advice and show you back pain exercises, based on the latest research, on how to avoid recurrent injuries.

Be it upper back pain, middle back pain or lower back pain, symptoms are not generally caused by a serious condition and, in most cases, get better within several weeks. Even severe back pain can usually be successfully treated by a combination of manual therapy, such as osteopathy, by taking painkillers to relieve the discomfort and by keeping mobile.

Back Pain Treatment

To speed up the healing process, lots of people choose to have manual therapy, such as osteopathy. For chronic back pain (lasting more than six weeks) treatment typically involves a combination of painkillers, exercise and manual therapy. Spinal surgery is usually only considered when all else has failed.

If you have back pain, it is important to try to remain as active as possible and continue with your usual daily activities, as being inactive for extended periods of time is generally accepted as being bad for your back.

Some people may take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, or muscle relaxants to reduce spasms and to give back pain relief. Hot or cold compression packs may also help reduce the pain.

Altering the position in which you sleep can ease some of the strain on your back and ease the pain, so if you sleep on your side, try placing a pillow between your legs, or if you sleep on your back, place a pillow under the arch of your spine to maintain a comfortable position.

Trying to relax is a crucial part of easing the pain because muscle tension caused by worrying about your condition can make things worse.

At Chhabra Osteopathy, your osteopath will aim to identify the causes of your back pain and make suggestions to limit further episodes. Some common causes include being overweight, poor posture and stress.

Chronic Back Pain

Back pain for more than six weeks is known as chronic back pain. The governments’ National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggest that in these cases, amongst other things, manual therapy such as osteopathy, and exercise are sought.

Our aim is to see people as soon as possible to relieve their back pain. Our osteopaths undertake a high level of training to understand the complexities of spinal anatomy and are fully insured and registered with the General Osteopathic Council. They have a wide experience base in treating all types of back injury and use a variety of techniques to achieve the best results. Combining massage techniques, joint manipulation, electrotherapy and a rehabilitation exercise régime, our osteopaths take a look at you from a holistic perspective to ensure the best possible care is given. Every individual is treated differently and we personalize our treatment plan so that is tailored to your lifestyle.

It is the personalized approach that a lot of patients say makes us stand out from the crowd. It is our good links with local consultants and our “over and above” level of after-care service, which brings our patients back to the clinic and provides us with recommendations and referrals.