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

The Course of Low Back Pain

Low back pain is always described as being either acute, sub acute or chronic with acute pain lasting less than six weeks, sub acute pain from six weeks to twelve weeks and chronic pain lasting over the twelve week point. Most people were assumed to recover quickly and go back to normal with only a small number suffering longer term pain and disability. However, research has shown that it is an episodic and recurring condition and present for much longer than generally thought. 75% of patients with back pain in primary care still had symptoms a year later in one study, indicating back pain is more of a chronic picture overall.

Patients with chronic back pain are not uniformly severe or disabled but rather suffer a varying degree of pain and disability over time. Old views used to be that 80-90 percent of back episodes resolved completed but it is much more realistic to view it as a longer term grumbling problem. The main predictor for people having back pain in the future is having had it in the past and this supports the above idea of back pain as a continuing problem. For most people back pain is a common but limited irritation which recurs from time to time.

Staying Active after Whiplash

Part of the art of recovering from whiplash injury is to keep as active as possible without aggravating the pain too severely. Resting for a few days in the presence of severe pain is reasonable but longer periods of rest can be counterproductive and disabling. Most activities can be performed without the neck having full movement so the patient should get on and do what they can. Static postures should be avoided for too long and the patient encouraged to change positions and keep moving regularly. The movements should be progressed steadily every day to push the joints a little bit further each time.

When sitting the chair should be the right height and the person get up very regularly to vary the neck position. Office work can be much easier with a well adjusted chair and the computer monitor and keyboard in optimal positions. Driving should be for short periods with regular stops to get out and move around. Pacing general activities by splitting them up into shorter time slots is a very useful strategy, allowing the patient to continue activities or restart them again without causing a significant worsening of pain.