Almost everyone will experience back pain at some point, and often symptoms settle over time despite what we do. However, back pain can return even after rest. This often indicates a mechanical driver of pain and can be related to many things: movement restrictions, lifestyle, strength or muscle endurance issues.
What Triggers Recurring Back Pain?
When back pain keeps returning, it is useful to analyse activities that you have done previously or over a week to see if there is any pattern of activity that may be related to the recurrence of your back pain. If an activity is identified, it does not necessarily mean you should avoid it; however, you could initially reduce the amount of time that you are doing it. You also may find that the aggravating factor is not just one activity but a combination of activities.
How Can a Physiotherapist Help Stop Back Pain Returning?
If you are able to identify the aggravating activities that cause your back pain, a physiotherapist can then analyse how you move or how robust your musculoskeletal system may be during activities. Identifying muscle weakness, tightness, endurance and joint mobility is useful and can be beneficial towards creating a rehabilitation plan that improves your resilience and prevents back pain from returning as frequently.
Could an Inflammatory Condition Be Causing Your Back Pain?
Although mechanical or musculoskeletal-related back pain is the most common driver of discomfort in the back, other potential drivers do need to be considered if back pain keeps returning. Spondyloarthropathies are conditions where the body produces inflammation in stress points of the back (for example, bony attachments of ligaments and tendons) which, if not identified, can lead to tissue damage. These types of conditions often can be worst at rest or in the morning but often ease with movement. Pharmaceutical intervention is usually required alongside physiotherapy for these types of conditions.
Could Your Back Pain Be Coming From an Internal Organ?
Organs like the kidney, bladder, uterus and bowel can refer pain into the back if infection or abnormalities are present. This type of pain is called visceral referred pain and behaves less mechanically; the pain is not necessarily relieved by rest and cannot be reliably reproduced by particular movements. Visceral referred back pain is often diffuse and hard to localise.
Why Does Chronic Back Pain Behave Differently?
Chronic back pain is different to mechanical back pain as pain is not driven by tissue stress or reactivity; instead, it is a result of changes within the nervous system which can cause perception of pain on movement or rest. This type of pain is complex and responds better to lifestyle changes, coping strategies, pacing and education.
Should You Get Recurring Back Pain Assessed?
In summary, back pain that keeps returning after rest is often driven by mechanical factors which can be successfully addressed by an appropriate physiotherapy assessment and rehab programme. Assessment, however, should consider other types of non-mechanical pain drivers before a diagnosis of mechanical pain is made. If your back pain keeps coming back, book an assessment with our team to get to the root cause.
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