The Different Types of Back Pain

Oct 4

Treatment for back pain can be very different for each person, depending on what’s causing your pain. Here Dr Anna, local Osteopath of Warrnambool, breaks down what your pain is trying to tell you.

Achey pain across the whole of the low back, which sometimes hurts more when you sneeze:

This may be a disc issue. Don’t panic, because not all disc issues are dire, but you need to get an assessment to make sure it’s not about to get worse. If you have pain going down your legs, you may have a trapped nerve, and you must urgently see your osteopath or other medical professional.

Sharp, stabby pain that catches on certain movements:

This is more likely to be a facet joint in your spine that has caught its own joint capsule because of a mis-timed movement, or become inflamed due to improper posture and weightbearing. Sometimes this is also due to wear and tear in the spine which changes how weight becomes distributed through the facet joint. This can happen anywhere in the spine, from low back to upper neck.

Most of the time, a facet sprain will resolve itself within a few hours, with some gentle and regular movement. If the facet is chronically inflamed or has sprained as a result of awkward weightbearing, then it will likely require treatment to help it along. An osteopathic assessment can help to address why and how your body is holding itself up, and try to create a more ideal alignment that allows pain-free movement without harming the painful joint.

Pain in the buttock, that may wrap around the hip joint:

This is likely a sacroiliac joint issue - this joint sits between your sacrum bone (part of your tailbone area) and your iliac (the wider bony portion of your pelvis). The joint may be sprained, or the muscles around the joint may be pulling it too tightly.

Sometimes this is due to how your spine rests on top of your pelvis, which dictates your posture, how deeply you can breathe, and how well drainage can come from your legs and pelvis back up towards your heart.

Other times, it’s how you sit, or even the support (or lack of support) in the shoes that you wear, that can cause this. I have seen the occasional sacroiliac joint sprain caused by heavy handbags, or by trips and falls.

Look up “piriformis stretches” to see if those help or make it worse - always stop if it makes it worse. Let your osteopath know what helped or hindered, and that can also help them to form a diagnosis.

Of course, no two people’s pain is exactly the same, so this can only be a general guide. If you’re experiencing discomfort, it’s best to go and see your osteopath if the pain doesn’t go away after a day or so.

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