The Back Pain Podcast

In this episode, Rob Crowley Chiropractor and CrossFit Competitor talks about the value of CrossFit as both a fitness methodology and a competitive sport.

He shares what it means to an individual who trains in CrossFit in addition to their working week and how professional CrossFit elite athletes work towards their goals and how exposure to movement and load is the key to building resilience, strength and endurance.

Rob reflects and shares great advice from all angles - as a chiropractor, physiologist, CrossFit competitor and CrossFit coach. Cross fit can be hard to define and this is a great opportunity to understand more about how and why CrossFit continues to grow in popularity year on year.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Load, movement and variety of exercise is very important to decrease back pain and keep people healthy.
• CrossFit is designed to be constantly varying functional activity performed at high intensity across times and domains.
• CrossFit has moved from the domain of athletes to being within the reach of the average person and this brings unique challenges for those individuals in terms of mobility and what they can achieve early on.
• The ability to coach complex and varying movements is about scaling for the differing abilities and experience.
• You need to understand the phases and stages of each lift to successfully build the necessary skills.
• There is a difference between CrossFit as a fitness methodology and CrossFit as a competition sport.
• In CrossFit, there is a paradox with movements where your lower back needs to be very stable such as weight lifting but there are also gymnastic movements that require the lower back to be very mobile and they might be in the same workout.
• The same treatments work with athletes and the average person but often the average person doesn’t feel they need the level of care an athlete has.
• Bodies aren’t fragile there isn’t a bad movement it’s having the strength, endurance and skill to perform the movement.

BEST MOMENTS

‘I’ve never avoided loading my body and over the years this is what has made me resilient’

‘We need to not make people afraid of lifting things it’s what we are designed to do’

‘A CrossFit workout will always feel about the same, the amount you feel f#cked afterwards will change as you get fitter and recover quicker’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Gain Recovery website

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

In this episode Shane Lawlor one of Europe’s leading golf performance therapists discusses the range of issues he sees repeatedly in his specialist area, golf and the solutions that he is able to offer.

With extensive expertise and experience in the treatment, screening and rehabilitation of golf injuries Shane has travelled the world with professional golfers and has worked with athletes at all levels.

He shares the methods and approaches that make a difference in physical performance and discusses what it really takes to build an athlete.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The pros get back problems because they hit too many balls at speed and the amateurs get problems because they don’t rotate in the right way.
• In the treatment room, a selection of movement screens are used to work out what the problem is.
• We know now even if you have  back pain you need to be moving around. It’s about putting evidence and experience together.
• Back problems for amateur golfers are usually focused around hip mobility.
• Golf is a close chain movement where your feet are planted and then your hips are moving over them.
• The rotation should come from the hips but if this doesn’t happen then the strain is on the back.
• The type of disc and facets in the back can determine whether someone is suitable for a particular sport.
• When you are building a golfer, you are building an athlete. Early specialisation of sports can be a problem because you overload on a particular pattern very early on.
• If you can get the core working effectively then this lessens the strain on the back.
• Extra mobility doesn’t mean you are more stable it’s all about control. You can’t add length without adding strength and you are mobilised by strengthening it’s important to stay strong.
• It’s a very diverse sport and no 2 swings are the same so you should never try and copy someone else’s swing. What makes someone a pro is their ability to get around their own limitations. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘If you build your mental game you can make it your reality’

‘If you can’t hit a ball 300 yards or more then you are at a significant disadvantage so young players are always chasing speed as this means more distance’

‘There is no best coach it’s the coach who best suits the person’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

The Golf Chiro website

Shane Lawlor LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Derek Griffin specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist with expertise in chronic pain disorders is talking about chronic pain and how pain is understood on both an individual and societal level.

There are many factors that influence an individual’s experience of pain and Derek explains the importance of listening to the patient and bringing understanding to the narrative.

Everyone will seek to make sense of their pain and understanding the many factors that interact to not only influence the pain but determine the response can help in the management and treatment of individuals.

We are subject to many societal beliefs about back pain from early on in our lives but the narrative can be changed if we are prepared to listen.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Chronic pain is an umbrella term for a number of conditions so it’s important to recognise each individual and their story.
• Pain is a societal problem and people have beliefs about pain whether they are suffering it or not. Its widely believed that pain equals damage to tissues resulting in pain but there is not a 1 to 1 relationship between pain and damage.
• There are many factors that influence an individual’s experience of pain
• You can have damage and not have pain and also have pain without any obvious injury.
• There is a huge interaction between our beliefs, behaviours, how we cope with pain and how the nervous and immune systems respond which influence pain and its persistency
• If you can link key concepts to the patient’s story you can help them to reflect.
• Even when you can’t change someone’s life there are ways to help them improve their coping mechanisms.
• There has to be a blame-free narrative and there are many things are involved in the experience of pain.
• It’s always about listening to the individual and their story.
• There are lots of reasons around the societal beliefs about back pain and how it persists but it about shifting the beliefs at a population level to make change

BEST MOMENTS

‘No activity is too little’

‘It’s human nature to try and attribute something to a particular event because it brings control’

‘It’s about changing the narrative of pain’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Derek Griffin Twitter

[email protected]

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

In this episode, Brad Beer founding physiotherapist of Pogo Physio,  host of ‘The Physical Performance Podcast and best-selling author of ‘You Can Run Pain Free’ discusses what it takes to keep running and the types of injuries that runners often encounter.

Moving and motion are important and the body adapts growing stronger so keeping in motion is key.

Brad and Rob discuss the ways to achieve optimum hip stability, understand your body type, training load and running technique in this informative episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 1 out 5 recreational runners will compete with a running injury at any one time.
• Most runners will have back pain at some point during their lifetime.
• The role of the pelvis for runners is integral to performance.
• If a runner can get stronger around the pelvis it will mitigate possible back pain.
• Moving and motion are important and the body adapts growing stronger.
• Back pain is often really poorly managed.
• The most powerful part of the consultation can be the client understanding that;

-They don’t have a bad back they have a normal back that’s currently sore

-Pain does not equal damage

-This pain will pass

• Achieving hip stability is key.
• Body type – having an awareness of how you are put together can help you streamline what you need to do to increase and sustain mobility.
• Running technique – over striding had been linked to heightened to increase joint forces
• 60% of injuries are caused by incorrect training loads
• Relative rest – the only training you are benefiting from is the training you are recovering from.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The best performers are those who are less rigid and adapt training to their bodies at different times’

‘You are getting fitter when you are absorbing the work’

‘I’m a student in my job everyday’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Pogo Physio website

You Can Run Pain Free by Brad Beer

The Physical Performance Show podcast 

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Discover today how your back pain when cycling can be eliminated with a simple bike fit. Today we are joined by Ricky Davis, chiropractor and bike fitter who explains the critical importance bike fitting can have on your comfort and performance on the bike whether you're a lifelong cyclist or just starting out. Ricky shares some key exercises for improving your strength in and out the saddle and why getting that fine balance is extremely important.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There’s a 50/50 split for acute trauma injuries on a bike e.g. falling off and fracturing something, and then the chronic overuse and pain.
• Disc overload or disk anti-pressure can often cause the sciatic nerve troubles close to that area and they can refer down and into the legs. Not only is there mechanical pressure in the saddle but also the lower back, making many people fear cycling.
• There are specific stretches and techniques for cycling and mobility. Certain yoga poses such as ‘Pigeon Pose’ whereby you stretch through your hips. As well as strengthening exercises like ‘Dead Bugs’ which are an amazing core exercise whilst in a peddling movement, coupled with one-legged glute exercises.
• The majority of the issues related to lower bike pain in connection with bike fitting is that somebody can be too low in terms of the front end of the bike meaning they’re putting excess stress onto the lower part of the back or they are too high on a road bike you have to have a balance between the two.
• If you are first getting into cycling, getting a bike fitted correctly to you will change your view on cycling. If you go cycling without this, and find it painful it will put you off. Pain is the biggest limiter of success on a bike as you are not able to do what you love to do.
• You can increase performance with a good bike fit. The reason you will be faster and perform is that if your muscles are in the right ranges then all your power from your glutes will be going into the pedal. If everything is working as it should, we can improve on things.

BEST MOMENTS

“People think that’s just a normal feeling, that is just cycling but it is not, you don’t need to be feeling this stuff.”

“These are going to be invaluable to strengthen you off of the bike as well.”

“Discomfort will be the thing that limits you the most.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

John Thomson The McKenzie Institute website

Links To Exercises (valuable resources)

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjD6fOP5tjpAhWiVBUIHXpaDdwQFjASegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yogajournal.com%2Fpractice%2Fpigeon-pose&usg=AOvVaw1ZkTLlhHMLjt__eqJFXZsB

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjE95uc5tjpAhUOTRUIHQH_DjkQFjAYegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.coachmag.co.uk%2Fabs-workouts%2F6384%2Fthe-dead-bug-exercise&usg=AOvVaw1rLBC515ZAVnvhY62ZGzsU

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiv7aio5tjpAhVQZxUIHVCABXsQwqsBMB96BAgLEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Db9bHy3ojQWA&usg=AOvVaw2O3Ki5ZxGpAyeL1Lm3vPC5

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Nick is a Sport Chiropractor who has worked in the premiership for the last 3 years alongside a multidisciplinary team of physios, doctors and coaches. 

We discuss how common injuries including back pain is in top-level athletes and how its managed in the elite sporting environment. As well as the challenges healthcare professionals face in dealing with the best of the best. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 49% of the population has suffered from back pain and individuals often identify sport as the cause.
• This can be because they don’t do anything, then do something intense increasing dramatically the load on the body.
• In football, both intrinsic load and external load are measured to give both indicators of potential injury and peaks in performance.
• As a sports chiropractor, you are looking for the characteristics of having flexibility, strength, stability and control in the right areas of the spine, then it can withstand a good amount of load.
• The type of back pain suffered by most people is mechanical back pain and this affects both athletes and weekend warrior sportspeople.
• When an athlete is coming back from injury they go through specific steps to reduce the risk of relapse.
• Those young people who do a range of different sports as they are growing up spread the load and this helps later on.
• It’s about an athlete having a set of tools that they can use to manage their own bodies and their mental well being
• A rest recovery cycle is important with sleep and the correct diet vital components.
• You need to take a holistic view of your life to ensure you are in the best possible state to take part in physical activities.

BEST MOMENTS

‘I’m looking to build a multi-disciplinary team who will be able to meet all the needs of the person’

‘Breaking down the components of the sport and testing the athlete over time to build back to 100% is vital’

‘It’s about have a training plan and building up the load gradually’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Nick Metcalfe website

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Sarah Fellows is a chartered musculoskeletal and women's health Physiotherapist. She works alongside Rob at the Dyer St Clinic @dyerstclinic dyerstclinic.com in Cirencester. 

Today’s episode focuses on one of Sarah’s passions, treating pregnant ladies, who as I’m sure you know, regularly suffer from back pain. We cover how to know if you back pain is serious, and the signs to look out for. What you can do if you are pregnant and have back pain, and tips to avoid it, if you are early on in your pregnancy or trying for the future. 

Sarah is a fantastic guest and this was a great episode to be a part of! Enjoy.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Backpain can be more likely in subsequent pregnancies as the muscles have already been stretched
• The weight load on the front of the body can exacerbate back pain through the posture altering.
• A strong muscular structure during pregnancy supports the changes to the body and for those women who have weak muscular structure training and developing muscular strength is key
• A muscle strengthening program can be vital to help the body strengthen and adapt
• For any type of pain seek advice but it’s important to understand that your body is continually adapting during pregnancy
• All the changes are very normal and pain doesn’t equal harm it’s an alarm signal.
• Movement is your friend, even if you have pain It’s important to keep moving, pace yourself and move in short bursts
• Many women go through pregnancy without any back pain it’s all about how you look after yourself.
• Breathing is an important part of how we function and just changing your breathing can change your pain.

BEST MOMENTS

‘If you are planning on getting pregnant then you should train for it’

‘For the majority of women, backpain in pregnancy is caused by postural changes’

‘The stronger you are, especially in the pelvic area the better your pregnancy will be’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Physio Sarah website

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Dr. Depak Ravindran is a Consultant Pain and MSK Specialist at Circle Rehabilitation. He is also lead consultant in pain medicine at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

One of his key areas of interest is Fibromyalgia. A Chronic pain condition which not only causes a significant amount of back pain but also makes the pain from other conditions much worse!

We talk today about the widespread problem that is Fibromyalgia, how common it is and its relationship to other pain conditions. Deepak is a world-renowned expert on this topic, so some takeaways for sufferers as well as healthcare professionals. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread pain condition characterised by sleep deprivation, memory loss, extreme fatigue and widespread pain throughout the body.
• Listening is an important part of a consultation and helps to build a detailed picture of people’s lives.
• Fibromyalgia affects around 3 million people in the UK
• Younger people are now being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and this has an impact on both society and the economy.
• It’s a dysfunction of the nervous system and the question is what are the changes for young people that are leading to this dysfunction?
• The immune system and the nervous system are tied tightly together and they can both be profoundly affected by stress
• If you look  closely at what you eat you can potentially make a huge difference to fibromyalgia
• Pain is not a signal something is wrong it’s an alarm system and then the brain decides how dangerous it is ‘it’s a danger signal’ the brain makes a decision based on prior experience
• Some patients will have both fibromyalgia and back pain and it is likely they will have an amplification as the body is wired to be more sensitive.
• When you have a sensitive system it’s important to reinforce the message that it alright and therapies can make a difference

BEST MOMENTS

‘Hurt does not equal harm, this is an important message to understand’

‘Any treatment approach must be tailored to the individual and we  need to find multiple ways to calm the nerves’

‘Once a diagnosis is made moderating your lifestyle and completing activities routinely that help your body are key’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Circle Health website

The Berkshire Pain Clinic website

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Rath Sundaram is a Consultant Orthopaedic, Trauma and Spinal Surgeon at Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust and is the spinal lead for Gloucestershire Hospitals. As well as working in the NHS he has a large Private patient base.

The elective work he provides is mainly for sciatica, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. All which are significant causes of back pain, and disability.

We go into detail about the different types of Spinal Surgeries for back pain, when they should be done, benefits and limitations of each, as well as tips on when it's appropriate to see a consultant spinal surgeon and much more.

So, if you have back pain and are worried about having surgery or if you are just exploring your options then this episode is for you!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The majority of diagnosis are made from the individual’s history and with an examination, a scan would be done to confirm this.
• Only 5% of individuals will require surgery because the majority who have spinal pain symptoms will heal over time.
• There is considerable research around the types of people who do well and are the right people to operate on.
• No two patients are the same it’s about relative anatomy and the way individuals are built.
• We treat the person, not the scan.
• The evidence shows that physical therapy can help things to settle down over time. If this doesn’t reduce pain then surgery can be considered.
• The more common operation is a lumbar discectomy procedure.
• Fusion surgery is done when there is instability and movement in the spine. The most common cause of this is spondylolisthesis
• With surgery people are usually home the next day. Your body will be tired and good therapy will help get you back to your normal state as quickly as possible.
• Decisions about treatment are based on the level of symptoms and the quality of life. It is about whether someone can live their everyday life.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The spine is a dynamic structure’

‘When you are in severe pain for a period of time it can be difficult to accept that it will get better in time’

‘It is reasonable to consider a scan after 6weeks if the treatment isn’t making a difference ’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

https://www.itsmyspine.co.uk

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com

Axial Spondyloarthritis or AxSpA is an inflammatory arthritis where back pain is the main symptom. AxSpA is an umbrella term that includes AS or Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Both can be crippling!

We chat to Jack March, a Specialist Rheumatology Physio about his role in practice as an Advanced Level Physio at Nuffield health, alongside that he is also Project lead of The Physio Matters Podcast and has lectured extensively on Rheumatology and Inflammatory Back Pain

In this episode, we will go over what to do if you think you have inflammatory back pain or AxSpA, tips if you have a diagnosis and some great resources to turn to for further information.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Axial Spondyloarthritis is an umbrella term for a number of conditions where the ligaments attached to the bone become inflamed.
• In AxSpA the immune system loses the ability to tell those cells that connect the ligaments to the bone as being a part of you.
• It is an alteration of the immune system so for most people its managed through inducing remission.
• Next steps will usually be an anti-inflammatory medication and for many, this will be sufficient to control the symptoms
• With AxSpA there are very specific pattern it is a younger person’s condition with onset usually being under 45 although it may not be diagnosed for a number of years.
• Classic symptoms include spinal stiffness for a period usually in excess of an hour and pain and stiffness that wakes people in the night, only alleviated by loosening through movement.
• If you are diagnosed early and treated early the best outcomes are achieved.
• When medication and pain management are under control, key lifestyle factors are avoiding smoking, keeping active and healthy eating.
• It’s about regular exercise, whatever that is for the individual, you should be aiming to lift your heart rate for 150mins a week.

BEST MOMENTS

‘There is nothing wrong with the tissue it’s the inflammation that is causing the pain’

‘Inflammation stimulates more inflammation so it’s about stopping the cycle’

‘It’s not a consequence of any damage to the spine’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Back Pain Podcast
Free Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com 

Rheumatology Physio

NASS website

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dave Elliot
Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.
-Instagram

Rob Beaven
Rob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.
-Instagram
-Twitter

CONTACT METHOD

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• [email protected]

Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com