Physiotherapists in Middlesbrough treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Risk Factors for Low Back Pain

Studies of risk factors have not given clear indication of the risk factors for low back pain although about 70% of disc degeneration seems to be connected with genetic factors and around 60% of back pain overall. There is a strong association between genetic factors and osteoarthritis in the small facet joints which lie each side of the spine. General levels of fitness and the strength of back muscles seem to have little relevance as does differences in leg length. One study which was well conducted shows that a high risk of poor lumbar mobility and a long back exists in young people who work in health work and are encountering heavy work for the first time. This may be because taller people are exposed to higher mechanical forces to the longer limb and spinal levers they use when lifting weights.

Of little relevance seem to be height or weight, flexibility of the lumbar spine or straight leg raising, and fitness seems also to be not connected. X-ray and MRI examination findings have no connection to whether a person might suffer low back pain in the future. Overall the highest risk factor for future back pain is having had back pain in the past.

Pain Behaviours

When we hurt ourselves it is usual for us to give some indication of the fact that we are injured and these behaviours we exhibit are caused pain behaviours. Typical pain behaviours are non-verbal such as groaning or moaning, grimacing, holding the painful part, lying down, seeking a space away from people or taking painkillers. These behaviours are normal and are a form of communication, letting other people know we have a problem so that they can help us if we require some assistance to manage our injury. These behaviours allow others to assist us more quickly than if we had to think about it and ask them, which would be difficult immediately after a painful injury.

However, such pain behaviours can become chronic, a sort of ingrained habit, and people may use them to communicate daily to people around them about how they are doing that day. This type of communication, being non-verbal, can be misconstrued as it is not clear what is being communicated, leading to incorrect guesses and unwanted actions. Non-assertive communication can be very irritating for those around the person as it is never clear what they want and when something is done it is wrong.