Exercise Physiology For Back Pain

With rates of low back pain throughout Australia’s population at an all-time high, many people are looking for innovative and non-invasive ways to treat the symptoms plus minimise their chance of having future pain episodes. At Central Performance our exercise physiologists enjoy tackling back pain with an active, evidence-based, exercise-centred treatment approach that allows our clients to return to their full level of normal activity. Whether this means elite or recreational sport, digging the garden and DIY, or simply playing with your kids, we can get you back doing the things you love to do.

Our exercise physiologists see clients with lower back pain from a wide variety of causes including:

• Disc-related low back pain
• Facet joint and arthritis-related back pain
• Rehabilitation following back surgery
• Sporting back pain
• Back pain related to a workplace injury

Your exercise physiology program is based on solid research which clearly shows the large benefits of structured exercise programs for all of the above types of back pain. While every one of our programs is unique and tailored to each individual client, the end goal is always the same: to relieve your back pain and get you back doing the activities and exercise you love to do.

Your Initial Exercise Physiology Assessment

Your Exercise Physiology program begins with a thorough initial assessment which includes a history of your injury and any other health problems, a review of your exercise history, and a full-body movement screen called the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). The results of this internationally recognised screen help determine whether your initial treatment will focus primarily on mobility, stability, strength or a combination of these areas. Our Exercise Physiologists strive to deliver the best possible exercise programs for their clients and use the initial assessment as a crucial element to help you become the fittest and strongest version of yourself you can be.

Goal setting is also an extremely important part of our initial assessment, allowing your exercise physiologist to really understand what you want to achieve. This allows us to develop your optimal course of treatment that not only reaches your goals, but helps clients exceed even their own expectations of themselves.

Treatment

There’s no “one size fits all” approach to treating back pain. Every individual with back pain will react differently to treatment, which is why exercise physiology is so useful in treating this condition. We never use a generic approach, every program is tailored specifically to the needs of each client, and we are constantly looking for the best possible treatment progressions for our clients with back pain.

Your course of exercise physiology treatment will usually begin with low impact, targeted mobility exercises. This then progresses to a specific strengthening program which continues to reduce your pain while developing your stability. Guided every step of the way, our clients are confident with their treatment program because their return to activity is graded and carefully monitored, to avoid any chance of an injury recurrence.

Later treatment stages for back pain are often the most enjoyable, as you progress to more functional and higher-level stability and strengthening programs. Our exercise physiologists are constantly looking for innovative ways to ensure your treatment is specifically tailored to your goals whilst always ensuring you’re exercising in the safest possible manner. For more information please contact us or book an appointment online.