Your spine is built to move, bend, lift, carry, run and have fun with!

Listen to Josh, one of our Mount Barker Physiotherapist team, explain all things spine:

What structures make up the back?

Cervical spine, Thoracic spine, Lumbar spine, and Sacrum Coccyx.

The lower back where most back pain occurs includes:

Five bones (vertebrae) (referred to as L1-L5)
- They support much of the weight of the upper body.
Rubbery pads called discs
- They act like shock absorbers throughout the spinal column to cushion the body’s movements.
Bands of tissue known as ligaments
- They hold the vertebrae in place
Tendons
- They attach the muscles to the spinal column.

Can bad posture cause back pain?

At myPhysioSA our spinal Physiotherapists tell people:

“Your best posture, is your next posture”

There is no such thing as bad posture. Just look at the way young children sit and how many awkward positions they can put themselves into! The key though, is that they are constantly on the move from one position to the next.

Office worker having strong lower back pain bad posture

It’s only when we stay in one position, which may cause tightness and stiffness to build up. Prolonged sitting is a good example of this. When people sit in front of a computer for an extended period of time, their muscles can become stiff and tight.

Matt, one of our experienced spinal Physios discusses posture and back pain in the video below:

So how do you know where your back pain coming from?

It usually takes a detailed assessment from a health professional to diagnose the exact cause of people’s pain. The human body is very complicated. Here is a short video by one of our senior Physio’s Josh, who discusses where your back pain may be coming from:

The good news: you don’t necessarily always have to know exactly where the pain is coming from to actually make it better.

What can I do if it seems to be muscle pain?

Avoid the key sustained positions or movements that seem to aggravate it.
Keep being active and keep moving.
Use heat i.e. wheat bags, heat cream, and have a hot shower.
Do regular muscle stretches and use a foam roller or a massage ball to release muscle tension.
If nothing seems to be helping, then seek help. myPhysioSA Physiotherapists are here to help diagnose your back pain. They will explain to you in plain English what the problem is, and what the best plan is to help you get back on track fast.