Lower back pain is the leading cause of restricted movement worldwide — and also the condition most often treated incorrectly. The reason is simple: pain is a single symptom, but it has many possible sources. A disc, a facet joint, the sacroiliac joint, an overloaded muscle, or a load-distribution fault that begins at the foot and travels up to the spine.
That is why we do not start with a treatment session. We start with a clinical assessment that identifies which tissue is producing the pain, and why it has persisted.
What the assessment looks for
- Discogenic pain: worse with forward bending and prolonged sitting, sometimes radiating into the leg.
- Facet joint pain: worse with prolonged standing and backward bending, eased by sitting.
- Sacroiliac joint: one-sided pain low in the back, aggravated by single-leg stance or stairs.
- Ascending mechanical fault: a problem at the ankle, foot or gait pattern that changes how load reaches the spine — an original line of research at this centre.
- Poor core control: deep stabilising muscles firing late, leaving the vertebrae unprotected during movement.
How we treat it — three clear phases
Phase one — settle the pain
The aim is to reduce pain and irritation enough for movement to begin. We use manual therapy, decompression techniques where indicated, and supporting physical modalities. This phase is a means, not an end — stopping here is why pain comes back.
Phase two — restore movement and control
We restore normal mobility through the spine and pelvis, and retrain the deep muscles responsible for spinal stability, with exercises taught in detail and reviewed at every session.
Phase three — load and prevention
We rebuild your back's capacity for the real demands of your day: lifting, bending, driving, long sitting. This is where a temporary improvement becomes a durable recovery.
When not to wait
- Pain travelling below the knee, or with persistent numbness.
- Weakness in the foot, or catching the toe when walking.
- Pain that wakes you at night or does not settle with rest.
- Pain following a fall or direct trauma.
- Pain with fever or unexplained weight loss.
None of these necessarily means something serious — but each one means assessment is no longer optional.
Questions patients ask
How many sessions will I need?
We give you a number after the first assessment, based on how long the pain has been there, what is driving it, and how consistently you do the home programme. You get a clear estimate up front and we review it with you at set points — we do not run open-ended plans.
Do I need an MRI?
Not always. Many cases are diagnosed accurately on clinical examination. We request imaging when the result would genuinely change the plan, not for documentation. If you already have scans, we read them ourselves and match them to the examination — an image alone does not make a diagnosis.
Is complete rest helpful?
Rarely. Prolonged rest weakens the supporting muscles and lengthens the episode. Current evidence supports graded, measured movement — and that is what we build with you.
This content is educational and does not replace medical consultation. Your treatment plan is determined after a full clinical assessment at the centre.