Understanding Common Causes of Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most frequent reasons people seek physiotherapy care, and it can have many different contributing factors.

Common contributors include prolonged sitting or poor posture, muscular strain from lifting or sudden movement, weak core and supporting muscles, and general deconditioning from reduced daily activity.

Because the back is a complex structure involving muscles, joints, discs and nerves, the same symptom — pain — can come from very different underlying causes. This is why a proper physiotherapy assessment, rather than a generic exercise routine found online, is important for getting the right plan.

During an assessment, a physiotherapist looks at your posture, movement patterns, muscle strength and daily habits to build a picture of what may be contributing to your pain, then designs a treatment and exercise plan accordingly.

If your back pain is severe, follows a significant injury, or comes with symptoms like numbness, weakness or loss of bladder/bowel control, seek urgent medical attention rather than physiotherapy alone.

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