12/06/2025
š¤Lower back playing up? Youāre not aloneāand thereās a lot of outdated info out there
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šPeter OāSullivan is one of the top researchers in this space, and he's helped bust some of the biggest myths around low back pain
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Here are 10 facts that might just change how you think about your back:
1ļøā£It can feel intense, but itās very unlikely to be life-threatening or lead to long-term disability
2ļøā£Age isnāt the problem. People of any age can recover with the right support. We do see a lot of pathological changes increase over time as we get older, but these are not associated with pain!
3ļøā£Your back is strong. Pain can hang around even when the tissue has already healed. When pain persists past this time, it usually means there are other contributing factors such as stress, tension, fatigue, inactivity, or unaccustomed activity, which make the back sensitive to loading
4ļøā£Scans don't show pain. Scans show an image of how the spine looks. But pain is a conscious and subjective experience
5ļøā£Sore doesnāt always mean harm. Moving is actually one of the best ways to feel better
6ļøā£Thereās no one āperfectā way to move. Itās safe to sit, bend, and even lift with a round backāin fact itās often more efficient
7ļøā£Itās not your āweak coreā, it could be your protection method. People with back pain often tense their core as a protective response, but this can actually make things worse. Strength is goodāover-bracing, not so much
8ļøā£We aren't machines that need our parts replaced. Your back is built to move! Loading helps it stay strongālike training any other muscle
9ļøā£Flare-ups are common and often linked to things like stress, sleep, tension, fatigue, increased guarding, or unaccustomed activityānot damage. Instead of treating it like an injury, try to stay calm, relax, and keep moving
šThere are safer, more effective ways to manage back pain long-termāwithout jumping straight to invasive stuff
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š„ If youāve got a cranky lower backāyouāre my kind of client. I love treating them, and Iāve seen what a game-changer the right approach can be
š Tag a friend whoās always saying āmy back is stuffed,ā or hit the link in bio to book in. Letās get you moving better
