From the busy clinic of Spine, Body & Health

Exclusively for Back Pain Sufferers In Bedford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Wellingborough, Luton & Beyond

Finally Understand Why You Suffer from Back Pain and Discover The Super Simple Solution to Reducing It…

…Or maybe even banishing it completely!*

Dear Visitor,

I am Peter Olsson, lead spinal specialist at Spine, Body & Health and if you’re visiting this website because you’re in pain then I want to help you get out of it.

My expert team and I put together this quick-to-read article to help you discover and understand why you may be experiencing back pain and the steps you can take to try and reduce it (or even get rid of it completely) to live a more pain-free life both from home but also with professional help.

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Back Pain is one of the Most Well-Known Reasons People Visit Doctors Each Year

In fact, it is said that 80% of adults in the UK will experience back pain at some point in their lives. It also happens to be the most common cause of job-related disability and also accounts for more than 260 million lost workdays each year.

Thankfully, just because you have back pain it doesn’t mean you have to suffer forever. There are measures you can take to avoid or soothe the back pain you are suffering with. If these measures aren’t enough then there are Back Pain Specialists like us at Spine, Body & Health who are more than happy to take a look and give you a noticeable reduction in pain within 14 days without surgery, pills or potions.

Speaking of surgery; we strongly believe the surgical treatment of back pain is rarely needed. If your doctor is suggesting you go under the knife we do recommend a second opinion – and we are more than happy to help! Surgery should always be a last resort.

We have written this article for you; to help give you clarity and understand to what back pain is, why you may be experiencing it and much more importantly what you can do to reduce it and prevent it.

To understand how to reduce and prevent back pain it helps if you understand how your back works and functions. We know the chance is you are not a scientist so we have kept that in mind and written this article in plain English and tried to keep as much of the technical jargon out as possible.

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How Your Back Works

Your spine is a flexible but resilient part of your body. It gives helps give you support, balance and an upright posture when static, movement when your active, and it has to protect the spinal cord and nerve roots.

24 bones make up your spine, they are called vertebrae and they are joined together by spinal discs seating them one on top of the other. The discs are helped by numerous strong tendons, ligaments and muscles around them for support.

As we mature into adulthood, the structures of our spine, for example, joints, discs, and tendons, grow as well. The structures stay solid yet it’s typical for our back to get stiffer as we get older, unless we take specific steps to prevent this.

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3 Common Causes of Back Pain

1. Spondylosis (Adaptations As We Age)

As we become older the bones, discs and tendons in the spine will adapt to mechanical stress and weaken if overwhelmed. This happens to each and every one of us as it is a major part of getting older. Yet, it doesn’t need to be an issue and not everyone will get backache because of it.

Spondylosis is frequently known as spinal osteoarthritis.

Keeping the spine flexible, positioned correctly and the muscles around the spine and pelvis strong will lessen the effect of spondylosis.

2. Sciatica (Nerve Pain Down Your Leg & Lower Back)

Backache can also be linked with pain in the legs (digestive issues, bladder problems and reproductive issues). If you suffer from Sciatica you may experience numbness, a shivering feeling or shooting/sharp pain. Although most people who suffer from Sciatica experience terrible leg pain and very rare back pain it is commonly caused due to a bulging disc that is pushing on the nerve.

Your discs naturally bulge so you can move your spine effectively, however, sometimes an excessive amount of bulging can get a nerve root and cause pain down the leg and into the foot.

The vast majority of people can recover from sciatica quite quickly with the right help. Careful exercise in conjunction with precise manual procedures to the injured part of your spine, delivered by a spinal specialist to treat the root of the problem, has been shown to be tremendously effective.

3. Spinal Stenosis

Back problems are also linked with pain in the legs which begins after you start walking for a couple of minutes, and after that, it will show signs of improvement all around immediately when you sit down. This is called spinal stenosis.

Spinal Stenosis can develop from birth or can occur when getting old. Pain is possible when something pushes on the little space in the spine that contain nerves. This space, which is known as the spinal canal or nerve root channel, can be pressed by bone, tendon, ligament or disc.

The pain generally shows signs of improvement when you rest. Like sciatica, the core problem will be leg problems and not necessarily back pain.

Diagnosing Your Back Pain

Most physicians diagnose back pain through physical examination that depends on the patient’s medical history.

Although many believe scans and testing are rarely needed, here at Spine, Body & Health our Spinal Specialists believe thorough testing and examination are essential to finding and understanding the root cause of your pain.

After all, if you don’t truly understand the cause how are you able to start making it better?

Depending on the type of physician you see they may suggest some tests and scans to detect some other underlying causes. Examples include X-rays, Bone Scans, CT Scans, Electromyography, etc.

One of our Back Pain Specialists examining an X-Ray

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7 Remedies & Solutions for Back Pain

1. EXERCISE

Exercise is one of the main ways you can support yourself if you have back pain. By keeping the muscles strong around the spine it will give greater help to the bones & joints and reduce pressure on them.

The more you exercise and move, the more the back will keep its regular scope of movement which will help lessen back pain.

Exercise can also help in the release of chemicals called endorphins, these are the body’s internal painkillers. These relieve pain and make you feel more joyful.

The right exercise may make your back feel somewhat sore from the start however it doesn’t cause any damage if it has been properly prescribed after a thorough analysis of what is causing your problem. In case you’re returning to exercise, consult with a specialist first and then start it slowly and increase the amount of exercise gradually.

It’s smarter to pick a type of exercise that you enjoy as you’re bound to stick with it. There are numerous types of exercise that have helped people with back pain, for example, swimming, walking, yoga and Pilates.

back pain treatment bedford bedfordshire

SMART MOVEMENTS

We always recommend to use your body properly and avoid activities that strain or twist your back.

Stand smart
Try not to slump. Keep up a balanced hip position.

Sit smart
Pick a seat that has lower back support, swivel base, and armrests. Putting a pad or towel on the back can keep up its typical curve. Change your position quite often, no less than each half-hour.

Lift smart
Keep away from heavy lifting, if possible. However, if you should lift something heavy, let your legs do the work. Keep your back straight, no turning or twisting. Hold the weight near your body. There are many videos on YouTube that will teach you how to lift correctly.

3. Diet & Nutrition

There are no particular diets that are known to help or heal back pain. But, if you are overweight or obese then there may be additional strain on the back. If you feel this is the case then it may be worth looking into a well-balanced, healthy diet. As your BMI reduces the pain you experience may reduce too.

4. Painkillers

In our opinion, basic painkillers are a short term fix only and not appropriate for a long term problem. In other words, they can be used to help you live a normal life but they don’t help fix the root cause of your back pain.

5. Drugs

If non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or standard painkillers do not work for you, your physician may propose some extra medicine.

Antidepressant Medication
Antidepressants can act to loosen up muscles and improve sleep because they help to lower neurological tone. You’ll generally be recommended the lowest dose to control your side effects. If the initial dose of antidepressants isn’t working, then the amount of the dose can be increased gradually. This strategy will bring down the potential side effect reactions, such as dry mouth, sleepiness and blurry vision. Do not use the medication if you experience these symptoms and consult your doctor to get proper medical advice.

Anticonvulsant Medication
Anticonvulsant medications aren’t generally given as a first-line treatment for back pain. Despite the fact that they probably won’t assist much with back pain, they may help sciatica by lessening neurological and therefore muscular tone. These should be taken for no longer than about a month and a half in any case. With all medications there can be side effects, so they won’t be right for everyone. You should consult with your doctor about this.

Injections
In some cases, injections can be helpful for reducing the symptoms of back pain or sciatica when the symptoms are particularly severe and typically prescribed medications or physiotherapy aren’t reducing the pain enough. Injections of this nature are usually known as an epidural. It is frequently an injection of a steroid, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties, close to the spine or the tailbone region, to help reduce the inflammation present around the agitated nerve root.

Another kind of injection, called radio-frequency denervation, may be utilised if it is felt that the back pain originates from adaptive changes that occur after some time to the facet joints. You should consult with a specialist to discuss if injections may be a possibility for backache or your sciatic pain. These injections do help a few people, yet do not fix the cause of the problem and are not effective for everyone.

6. Surgery

Not many individuals with back pain need surgery. However, sometimes in very severe circumstances an operation is required for spinal stenosis or for serious sciatica to free the nerve, even though most physicians would recommend attempting different approaches first, including prescription medications, physiotherapy or injections. If you lose bladder or bowel control or the use of your legs, urgent medical procedures might be required. However, this is incredibly uncommon.

6. Professional Back Pain Treatment

Back pain, as you know, is not fun to experience. In fact, it can have a huge effect on your life, your relationships, your hobbies and even your work. Although the back pain you feel may lessen over time or with help from drugs there is a strong chance you may be experiencing uncomfortable pain for years (this may already be you!).

Through the extensive education (and decades of hands-on experience) we’ve had, we strongly believe that just relying on drugs and exercise when you’re already high on the pain scale just isn’t enough. It may be time to see a specialist and discover the true cause of your pain.

Once you know the true cause you can start to get the right treatment.

Consultations & Testing

Whether you seek treatment from a professional or specialist or not it cannot hurt to have a thorough and extensive pain consultation. We cannot speak on behalf of other Bedford companies but we can tell you a bit more about what to test and why.

Computer Analysis of Posture

We use luminescent markers placed on specific parts of your body to analyse the precise shape and position of your body. A computer can see these markers and is able to accurately measure what is happening to your body.

This helps us to diagnose postural shifts that cause abnormal loads in your body. Abnormal loads lead to accelerated “wear and tear” and very often physical pain too, which may be felt in the neck, back, hips or knees. By correcting postural abnormalities we can alleviate the pain caused by them and also prevent accelerated “wear and tear”.

Thermography

Thermography is a highly sensitive objective test. It is so sensitive in fact that it is used in pre-clinical (before a problem is felt) diagnosis in scientific research. In other words, it can pick up problems before a person knows they even have one. Recent research has also confirmed that it is more accurate than typical diagnostics provided in the health care setting.

At Spine, Body & Health, we use this highly accurate and sensitive test to pick up nerve problems of the autonomic nervous system. It helps us to focus in on the most important areas in your body that need to be worked on for you to get better.

Electromyography

Electromyography measures electrical activity in between the nerve and a muscle, therefore it is a tool for pinpointing motor nerve problems and their effect on your body.

It is an excellent diagnostic method for people with symptoms of a muscle or nerve disorder (back pain, sciatica, etc). These symptoms may include tingling, numbness, or unexplained weakness in the limbs. EMG results can help the doctor diagnose muscle disorders, nerve disorders, and disorders affecting the connection between nerves and muscles.

Scientifically Defined Normal Low Back On The Left. The Low Back Of A Back Pain Sufferer On The Right

With Detailed Computer X-Ray Analysis We Are Able To Detect Problems Often Overlooked

Computer Analysed Digital X-Rays

The diagnostic value of MRI for musculoskeletal problems has recently fallen under scientific scrutiny. MRI was found to be a very poor diagnostic method for these. One of the fundamental problems is that most MRIs are taken whilst lying down. Therefore, they cannot pick up what happens to the body when it is under load and many soft tissue instabilities will go completely undiagnosed.

At Spine, Body & Health, we use something better. We rely on digital X-Rays taken whilst standing or sitting that are then analysed by a computer. Because we use this technology we are able to see the physical changes that are responsible for a person’s pain. We can see tissue instabilities, where discs are degenerating, where bones are reacting and adapting to internal problems that can not be seen from the outside; but more importantly, we can see where we need to work to help the body fix itself.

With this complete picture of what is happening in your body, we are able to give better recommendations for your long-term recovery.

Thermographs And Electromyographs Are Used To Determine Where There Are Functional Nerve Problems – Yellow Indicates Severely Depleted Nerve Function And Is The Cause Of This Person’s Back Pain

Spine, Body & Health Treatment & Therapy

After your consultation has taken place our highly experienced team of Spinal Specialists will analyse your results and create a thorough recommendation of care to help take you towards being pain-free.

Your Specialist will be able to answer any questions you have and put your mind at ease knowing you are in good hands.

As each person is different we are unable to say in this article how much treatment you may need. Some need a few regular treatments over a short time, others need regular treatments over a longer time. It all depends on the real cause of your pain and how simple it is to treat.

Since our doors first opened we have been able to help and treat over 16,000 people from across Bedford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Wellingborough and Luton.

Ergonomic Therapy

Outside our regular treatments, our Spinal Specialists will also give you advice and guidance on how to reduce back pain in your everyday life.

One of the biggest causes of non-specific low back pain is due to how we stand and sit, especially for long periods of time for example if you happen to work in an office.

If your chair and desk have not been set up to your specifically then you may be causing unnecessary pain in your back, neck, wrists and forearms. Thankfully many big companies have staff trained to help you with your desk set up (ask your line manager) but if not then our Specialists are more than happy to guide you to be more pain-free at work.

We Hope This Has Been Useful…

As you can see from the information above, there are many types of back pain and many potential solutions from home remedies to seeking professional help.

If you do want to discover the cause of your back pain and you live in Bedford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Wellingborough, Luton or one of the surrounding areas then why not come to Spine, Body & Health for a Consultation. You’ll be in good hands with one of our Spinal Specialists.

Normally Consultations cost £405.00 due to how in-depth and powerful the testing is, however, right now you can get the same consultation for only £93. Enter your name, number and email in the form below and one of our team will give you a call as soon as possible to get your Consultation booked.

*We can only provide this offer to people that live 25 miles or less from the clinic (as determined by Google maps)

Our Fully Funcional and Highly Equipped Treatment Room

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We look forward to meeting you and helping you on your journey!

Dr. Peter Olsson

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Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to accurately represent all services provided by Spine, Body & Health. There is no guarantee that you will get specific results by working with us. Examples on this site are not to be interpreted as a promise or guarantee.

Your level of success in attaining the results claimed on this site and by our staff depend on several factors, such as your background, motivation, commitment, and actions. Since these factors differ according to individuals I cannot guarantee your success, nor am I responsible for any of your actions. Results may vary.