Back Pain

Lower back pain is the most common anatomical complaint made by the general public (neck pain being the second). More and more of us seem to be suffering with lower back pain and it is predicted that almost all of us will at least once in our life time.

Why is lower back pain so common?

There are many reasons and theories why back pain is so common. However, the two most common seem to be:

1. Prolonged poor posture
2. Joint maltracking

1. Prolonged poor posture

One of the biggest reasons why lower back pain is so common is because the lower back is an area which is almost always on stress. Simply sitting down places a large amount of stress onto the lower back. Of course, the human body is designed to cope with this, however, modern day lifestyle means that an average person is now sitting for up to 6-10 hours a day. Due to the modern working environment a large proportion of the general public are at their desks for longer than 75% of their working day. This combined with sitting whilst driving, eating and relaxing at home, mean that sitting down postures far out way standing positions.

When we sit, there is an increased pressure placed onto the intervertebral discs. These discs are located in between each spinal vertebrae and are filled with a gel-like substance. Bending forwards causes compression at the front part of the disc and as a result can push the contents of the disc backwards towards the spinal nerves. Continuous pressure on the front part of the disc can result in the disc contents bulging onto the spinal nerves which causes pain.

Does this mean that we cannot sit-down?

Absolutely not. The human body is designed to tolerate stress in all sorts of positions. However, bulging discs are usually as a result of years and years of constant sitting postures that have gradually progressed until the stress can no longer be dealt with. Most incidences that result in disc bulging are as a result of bending forwards to lift an object. Most of the time patients report that the object that they were lifting at the time was not heavy and cannot understand why they have injured their back. The reason is because of the years and years of stress placed upon the back that finally results in injury. The actual incident causing the injury does not necessarily have to be strenuous. A lot of back rehabilitation focuses on postural correction and exercises to counterbalance the repetitive forward bending and sitting positions.

To receive the best treatment for your discomfort arrange an appointment today or if you have any questions please feel free to email

2. Joint maltracking

Joint maltracking simply means that a joint is not moving as fluently as it could be. Joint maltracking is very common, in fact, most of the general public are not aware that they have any problems whilst having tracking dysfunction. The reason for this is because joint maltracking does not always cause pain. Quite often symtoms can be limited to slight stiffness and occasional pins and needles. It is not until pain is experienced that patients seek treatment.

Maltracking is very common in the lower back, neck, elbow, knee and ankle. It must be made clear that joint maltracking does not mean that a "joint is out", it simply means that the movement is not a fluent as it should be. It is very common for people to be told after they have been assessed that their joints are "out",  and as a result, require agressive manipulation techniqes to correct the problem. This is incorrect.

With joint maltracking the treatment of choice is usually mobilisation. Mobilistation techniques do not need to be agressive. At James Grigg Inury Clinic, mobilisation techniques are based on the latest techniques from New Zealand that are gentle, non aggressive and highly effective. Treatments can be so effective that symptoms can imediately reduce or even disappear within one session.

To receive the best treatment for your discomfort arrange an appointment today or if you have any questions please feel free to email