Regardless of how old or young people are, over three quarters of the population will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Some occupations are more of a strain to the spine or body than others, such as being a builder or a plumber, but even office workers get lifting strains from filing and lifting paper and so on. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people take time off work. Small repeated strains, such as prolonged sitting in one position, or having to twist slightly from the computer screen to access the phone, for example, can lead to stress building up in muscles and ligaments, and can eventually give severe sprains and damage to ligaments and discs.

Osteopaths can advise on setting up your desk or workstation, to avoid strain building up, and can also effectively treat back pain, to help you return to work as soon and as easily as possible. Even if you have had back operations in the past, osteopaths can still help, and will adjust their treatments to accommodate the changes in the back from previous surgery.

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Osteopaths believe that back pain is often a result of accumulated smaller strains, tensions and restrictions in other parts of your spine, body, legs or arms, for example. Hence previous injuries, even if they no longer hurt you can have left restriction in you hips or knee, for example, which then alters the way you move your back from then onwards. This altered movement or posture can cause small strains to build up in new areas, slowly damaging muscles, ligaments and discus, until symptoms suddenly appear in new areas, as if 'out of the blue'.

In order to remove or reduce the irritation and tension from these 'new areas' of strain, it is often necessary to release the 'old' tension in the previously injured or stressed parts of the spine and body, so that overall movements, posture and mechanics can change, re-compensate, and begin to move in a better overall pattern once again. This overall change in movement will more effectively improve function of the spine local to the part that hurts, thus reducing pain and suffering more quickly that by just treating the sore part only.

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Apart from the fact that exposure to x-rays should be kept to an absolute minimum, osteopaths like to examine how the spine functions dynamically. This means that we look for how the muscles and ligaments feel and react when we move certain joints, or parts of the spine and body around. These palpatory findings are an important part of making a diagnosis of the problem. Relying on how the joints are lined up in a 'snap shot' on an x-ray does not give this type of information, which is so useful when considering the individual needs to the body's tissues, what type of treatment to use, and how best to manage the problem.

Osteopaths are though interested in what an x-ray can show, and may suggest you get an x-ray or a scan to indicate how much 'wear and tear' or other bony change / degeneration is present, for example, as this might influence treatment approaches. Do bring them along if you have them. However, x-rays and scans are not routinely required, and diagnosis and treatment can most often proceed without them.

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There is no clear answer to this question, as every problem is different, and every person even with the same problem, reacts and responds differently. Some [problems can be 'cured in one' where they are a simple muscle strain or joint locking. However, complex, and more involved injuries such as disc strain or herniation ('slipped disc') can take weeks or months of treatment, depending on the extent of the damage, whether any nerves are pinched or trapped as a result, or whether there are any other complicating factors, such as your type of job or lifestyle, or the impact of other problems / medical conditions you might have.

Osteopaths never give you a set number of treatments; will always need to examine you first to assess you and your situation as a whole, and also find out what your wishes and aims for the treatment are. Some people just want to get out of immediate pain, others want to get fully better in the short to medium term, and others still choose to come for preventative or maintenance treatment to offset the possibility of problems recurring. So, everyone is different. The osteopath will be able to give you a much clearer picture after the first examination, so you can help plan the management of your problem with the osteopath.

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