Suffering from back pain, lower back pain or sciatica?

Our expert back pain physios & sports therapists can offer advice and treatment tailored to your needs.

Book Now

Physiotherapy for back pain

At our Response Physio & Sports Therapy clinics located across the UK, we specialise in treatment for back musculoskeletal conditions, from acute back injury to chronic muscle pain, nerve pain, ligament pain, and spine pain.

Lumbar back pain is one of the most common medical conditions that we treat in physiotherapy, affecting around 8 in 10 people at some point during their lifetime. Back pain can range from a dull, aching pain to sharp, sudden pains, and can significantly affect one’s ability to complete daily activities.

How can physiotherapy help back pain?

Our Chartered Physiotherapists, located at our 17 clinical locations nationwide, are experienced in treating mild to chronic back pain issues. Our team will complete a full assessment and create a personalised back rehabilitation plan that suits you, so you can be back to feeling yourself again.

Our Physiotherapist will combine their in-depth knowledge of the body and how it works with specialised hands-on clinical skills. Depending on your condition, the root cause of the pain and goals, your Physiotherapist will devise a personalised treatment to help your recovery.

Book appointment

What are the best treatments for
back pain?

Response Physiotherapists use a wide range of treatments and techniques to help with back pain, as well as offering advice on looking after your back. Our expert back pain Physiotherapists may suggest treatments such as a sports massage for back pain, hands-on mobilisation and manipulation of the joints, spinal traction, electrotherapy, or K-taping depending on your problem. Whether you are looking for treatment for a pulled back muscle, how to heal a herniated disc, or how to treat a trapped nerve in back, our personalised physio treatment care plans help you get back on track.

Back pain treatment is usually most effective when it involves strengthening exercises. Your Physiotherapist may prescribe stretches and exercise programs to strengthen the core, improve or restore mobility in the back and address any underlying imbalances or postural problems.

Learn how to alleviate back pain at home before your appointment with our ‘Lockdown back pain’ article, including remedies for back pain.

Physiotherapy

Virtual Physiotherapy

Sports Massage

Sports Injury & Sports Movement

Biomechanics, Gait Analysis & Orthotics

Acupuncture

Reflexology

Hydrotherapy

View all treatments

Main causes of back pain

Back pain is very common, but its cause can be determined on a case-to-case basis, although sometimes it can be unclear (this is referred to as ‘non-specific’ back pain). In cases where the pain originates from the joints, bones or soft tissues in and around the spine, it is referred to as mechanical back pain.

The most common cause of back pain, particularly lower back pain, is a combination of poor posture and inactivity, typically seen in individuals who sit for prolonged periods. When the source of the pain is in your spinal joints, discs, vertebrae, or soft tissues, it is usually referred to as mechanical back pain.

There are many potential causes of mechanical back pain, the main ones including:

  • An accident or fall causing damage or strain to a muscle, ligament, spinal disc, nerve or bone
  • Poor posture for prolonged periods such as slouching at your desk
  • Lifting heavy objects
  • Muscle, bone or tissue weakness due to lack of activity/exercise

There are also many potential medical causes of back pain, this includes:

  • Herniated, ruptured, or bulging or slipped discs
  • Arthritis / osteoarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Degenerative or wear-and-tear changes within the spine
  • Inflammation and wear of the sacroiliac joint which can happen because of arthritis, infection, or even pregnancy

WHAT ARE THE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF BACK PAIN?

The symptoms of back pain, if due to strain or posture, are usually short-lived but can last for days or weeks. Back pain is chronic when symptoms have been present for longer than three months. If you experience any of the following symptoms of back pain, book an appointment today.

Common symptoms of back pain include:

  • A dull or strong ache in the lower back that gets more painful when you move and prevents you from straightening up
  • Central pain or pain on either side of the spine
  • An inability to stand up straight without pain
  • A decreased range of motion and diminished ability to flex the back
  • Pain that radiates down into the buttocks, the back of the thigh or even the lower leg (sciatica)
  • Frequent pins and needles or numbness in the buttocks, lower limbs or feet

The above symptoms need to be properly assessed by an experienced Physiotherapist, who can diagnose the cause of your back pain and provide the most appropriate treatment, management and advice.

How to prevent back pain

Many cases of upper and lower back pain can be easily prevented by changing some of your simple daily lifestyle habits. Here are some of the best ways to prevent back pain:

  • Sit up properly and arrange your desk to best suit your height and shape. This includes ensuring you use an ergonomic office chair with lumbar support.
  • Don’t sit in the same position for too long, stand up every 15-20 minutes to recover the arch in your spine.
  • Go for a 30-45 minutes walk each day, or aim for at least 10,000 steps per day.
  • Stretch regularly throughout the day.
  • If you are driving long distances, get out and stretch your legs every hour or so.
  • Arrange an appointment with one of our chartered Physiotherapists if you have pain that stays for longer than 48 hours.

WHY CHOOSE RESPONSE PHYSIO & SPORTS THERAPY
for Back Pain?

We are one of the UK’s leading providers of musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy in the leisure, NHS, and corporate wellbeing markets.

Response Physio & Sports Therapy delivers high-quality physiotherapy to patients across the UK. With a network of clinics, a team of qualified Physiotherapists and Sports Therapists, we can offer a choice of clinics near you and personalised treatment plans to get you feeling better faster.

We offer flexible opening hours to suit busy lifestyles including early and late appointments, Saturday clinics, and remote clinics. There are no waiting lists and appointments are often available within 24 hours. We accept NHS referrals, self-pay, and all major private health insurers, including AXA, BUPA, and Medico-legal.

We have 17 physio clinics within 15 locations that offer treatment for back pain:

CHARTERED PHYSIOTHERAPISTS

FREE PARKING AND DISABLED ACCESS

PERSONAL PLANS DESIGNED FOR YOU

STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES

CENTRAL BOOKING LINE

FLEXIBLE OPENING HOURS

View all Treatments

FAQs

What causes lower back pain?

Lower lumbar back pain: Mechanical problems with the spine, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are the most common causes of right lower back pain. If you need lower back pain help, book an appointment today.

How to treat lower back pain fast?

There are things you can do to relieve lower back pain, but unfortunately there is no quick fix. The best thing to do is take pain killers, exercise to loosen muscles and use hot/cold compresses. If the pain doesn’t improve after 48 hours of home treatment, you should book an appointment with one of our physio back pain specialists.

What is the best physiotherapy back strengthening exercise?

Our physiotherapists will cover the best strengthening exercises for back pain during your physio appointments. We also have some videos of effective and easy to follow physiotherapy and rehabilitation back pain exercises for you to do at home or in the gym. View our video exercises for back pain.

See what our customers have to say about us

It is our goal to provide exceptional clinical excellence and excellent customer care to all our patients, but don't take our word for it. Read what our customers have to say about our services. We want all our patients to be satisfied with our services. If there’s anything we can do to improve your experience then please get in touch.

With over 380 5 star Google reviews,
Read all our reviews here
Google Rating

Charlotte Cameron was very thorough and delivered what I asked for ....a definitive diagnosis with targetted physio to get me back on track. It is so easy for knee symptoms in the elderly to be assigned to degenerative arthritis and Charlotte was able to identify my specific problem and started me off on rehab. She is brilliant.

Jean Wallace

Great physio practice providing treatment dynamically tailored to the rehabilitation process. I’m very impressed in particular of Phil Rushmere, who is one of the best physios I’ve ever met: extremely knowledgeable, professional, pragmatic and capable. I highly recommend him.

Rafael Dubois

I have had an ongoing shoulder problem for over two years with very little pain relief in the past. My doctors referred me to Response Physio and I saw Denise who has been a tremendous help. The exercises I was given to do have helped ease the pain, which has allowed me to do my job and get back into sports. I can't thank Denise & Response Physio enough. The help that I have received has also helped me enough to no longer take Naproxen for pain relief. Highly recommended.

Jessica Brown

I was suffering from shoulder pain (ACJ joint pain), and was referred for Physiotherapy treatment by my company health insurance company, who covered the cost of treatment. Booking was made with Response Physio in Sidcup. I was treated by Vicente Boix Garibo with around 14 sessions with him over a period of a number of months, whilst in Covid19 lockdown. Vicente was brilliant in applying various techniques to target muscle pain and tightness in the muscles. He worked magic with his fingers in applying massage techniques to loosen the muscles and relieve the tension in the muscles. Vicente provided comprehensive exercise plans to perform on a daily basis. And helped me to make a speedy recovery. I would recommend both Vicente and Response Physio for any muscle injury treatment you may be suffering.

Pradstar P

Had a number of sessions with Andrea to sort my right knee injury that was causing me pain when running and restricting me from doing most physical leg activities, Andrea was brilliant with his knowledge and recovery plan that has seen me run and play football pain-free a number of times since and has improve stability in my knee drastically. He’s an excellent physio and would highly recommend him to anyone.

Dean shuttleworth

I was a patient of Jamie for 6 weeks and I highly recommend Jamie as physio. He was always happy to help and exercises taken helped me a lot.

Izabela Kulinska

I have been seeing Charlotte for the last couple of months about my knee pain. She is very professional, yet extremely friendly and approachable. She has given me good advice on keeping mobile whilst encouraging an exercise regime to strengthen the problem area. I highly recommend her.

Pat Perkins

I've had three sessions with Jamie to aid in my recovery of a neck and shoulder injury. From day one Jamie was clearly very knowledgeable and professional. Explanations for the movements he put me through were given and stretches to carry out in my own time to keep on top of the injury provided. On top of the excellent professionalism, I found Jamie very personable and easy to chat with as he carried out his work. Wouldn't hesitate on using this company again and would ask for Jamie to be the man to set me straight. Keep up the good work.

Adie Clapham

I was referred to Response Physio by my insurance company as I was not quite getting the help I needed from the NHS. Great experience from the beginning; friendly, professional and knowledgeable staff, clean and modern facilities and best of all, my injury is fixed without the use of painkillers and I have a great aftercare program to make sure it stays that way. Special shout out to the physio Uhr who really is an asset to the clinic. Highly recommended.

Lonnie C

Excellent physio, my long-standing shoulder problem that I never thought would resolve is already 90% improved after only a few weeks and getting better all the time. I'm amazed! Online consultation is really simple and works well; friendly and effective service. Highly recommend.

Sally Campbell

Charlotte was fantastic, providing expertise and a professional approach throughout the consultations I have with her. She quickly identified the nature of the problem, reassuring me that there wasn't anything serious going on and provided me with appropriate exercises to complete. Having followed her professional advice, I am now pain-free and the problem is well on the way to being completely resolved. Thanks, Charlotte - you're a gem!

Tina Byrom

Thank you for all the help on my tight hamstrings and for the explanations. I understand now how my injury affected my whole body. Very professional, definitely recommend!

Bartosz Lesniak

Probably the best physiotherapy I have experienced. Vicky Exarchou has an in-depth knowledge of the body and how to fix it when things go wrong. I have attended the clinic for two separate injuries and her approach to stretching and exercise has healed and resolved the root cause in both cases. Highly Recommended. Rows

D T

Phil was very professional and knowledgeable. Pinpointed the issue and I'm now well on the way to recovery. Would recommend. Convenient location too with free parking.

Sam Joran

Find your nearest Physio clinic

View all locations