Case histories: back pain

Joan

As Joan bent down to pick up a joint of meat in the supermarket, "my back went 'twang' and my eyes watered!"

Over the following week, the pain became worse, and by the time she came to the Practice to see Mandy, Joan was in a lot of pain and taking heavy painkillers.

"Everything hurt - sitting, walking and standing; driving was the worst. I needed to have something done as soon as possible. I didn't want to let it hang around."

Mandy's examination revealed that Joan had strained her lower back. Because she was in pain she was holding herself awkwardly, so her treatment focussed on reducing the postural strain in Joan's lower back, to allow the tissues to heal.

"After the first treatment I felt much more upright, as though I could stand up better. I came off my painkillers that week."

Joan had three treatments in total and is now back at the gym and able to play squash again.

"I'm back to full health, if not better than normal. Mandy was really calm and reassuring, it was really pleasant."

Susan

Susan had suffered back pain for several years, often taking time off work, which she tried to keep to a minimum. When a colleague noticed how much trouble she was having with day-to-day tasks, they recommended that she see Chris for treatment.

Previously, Susan had seen her doctor on several occasions, and also been referred to a consultant, but by now had reached the stage where she felt that now her problem was there to stay.

"I thought, I've had this for so long, no one'll be able to do anything for me - it's just part of life."

Chris found that Susan's low back was very inflamed - she had long term problems which had never had a proper chance to settle down. His approach has been like peeling the layers off an onion to get back to the underlying cause.

It was important for Susan to take an active role in modifying how she did things to give her back a chance to recover, and to allow her to put less strain on it.

In particular, Chris recommended that she take a break from work, and after several treatments Susan found that her symptoms eased, and later subsided.

"It's educated me - now I know when enough's enough, I used to just go and go with jobs and things to do, but you learn the signs..."

Susan now sees Chris every two months, which helps to ease any ongoing tension and prevent further problems.

Joanne

Joanne hurt her back when she was putting the lights on the Christmas tree; awkward tasks which involve stretching and leaning precariously are notorious for causing back injuries.

"I pulled it, I felt it go, but I'd nearly finished - so I carried on!"

Joanne's back was sore throughout Christmas and New Year and in January she went to her GP. Over the following weeks and months, Joanne had a course of physiotherapy, changed her pillow and mattress, her office chair and her car seat, but nothing helped.

As Mandy explains, Joanne did a lot of gymnastics when she was younger, but as a busy working mum she doesn't have time to keep this up. This means that she is still very flexible, but without the muscle control that gymnastics gives. Added to this she has scar tissue from an epidural which increased her back's vulnerability.

"Mandy's very good at uncovering things that you don't think are relevant, and gets you thinking about things differently."

While stretching forward to decorate the Christmas tree, Joanne had strained some ligaments in her pelvis. Treatment involved reducing the pressure on the pelvic ligaments to allow them to heal, and working on the scar tissue. This was followed by exercise to develop muscles to support her back.

Joanne had a total of eight treatments over two and a half months.

"It's been fabulous. My back's fine now, but I wouldn't hesitate to book in again or recommend Mandy to someone else. It's been great."