There are lots of reasons for getting back pain: poor sitting posture, excessive driving, heavy lifting, lack of stretching – even the wrong footwear! These activities put a strain on the back muscles which can cause them to tense up leading to pain. Sometimes the muscles will stay tight for weeks, months and even years after the event leading to the pain – the length of time in pain can vary depending not only on the severity of the injury but what we do next once we feel pain. Leaving back pain untreated often worsens the issue and makes recovery even longer.

Sometimes, back pain is severe and causes referred pain – pain that goes into the buttocks or down the legs even into the feet or toes. When pressure is put onto the sciatic nerve this can cause severe pain, pins and needles and numbness down the legs. The cause of this pain can vary from a disc prolapse, tight muscles or joint impingement.