Coping with back pain

When treating lower back pain I learnt the hard way that - prevention aside - exercise is the best cure writes Emma Kreft.

Aside from the common cold, what ailment loses the most working days in this country, forces five million people to consult their doctor every year, and will cause misery at some point to four out of five of us? Back pain.

For the vast majority, it is the result of a strain in the array of bones, ligaments and muscles that make up the spine, and comes on gradually. It can last for months or days, manifesting itself as a low ache, as poor flexibility or as shooting pains.

It can be caused by arthritis, trauma, slipped discs or sciatica - trapped nerves that are encouraged by sitting at a computer, shoulders curved.

Due to our increasingly sedentary, desk-bound lives, back pain is replacing traditional industrial injuries - such as burns, cuts and noise-related deafness - as a reason for sick leave purely because the back isn't stretched as much as it should be and then seizes up. Because it's an emerging phenomenon, doctors have scant training in dealing with it, and sufferers are left to hobble between a number of practitioners: osteopaths, chiropractors, masseurs, physiotherapists, acupuncturists and even peddlers of Chinese herbal cures.

I suffer with endometriosis, a fairly common condition in which cells that usually line the womb are found elsewhere in the body. For me, one of the main symptoms is back ache which means that for the majority of the month I'm in agony with my lower back and the fact that I spend the majority of my working week wearing heels and carrying a laptop on my shoulder doesn't help.

According to a new study, experts don't even know how to prevent workplace back injuries, let alone how to fix them. A Finnish investigation of the aches and pains of 18,000 hospital staff, baggage handlers and postal workers has shown that teaching manual labourers to handle heavy items is a waste of time and money. It found no difference in the back pain and musculoskeletal disorders between a group that received training in lifting techniques and one that did not.

Tuebrook-based osteopath, Mike Furlong whose patients include Katherine Kelly from Coronation Street, has had a bad back himself for many years, having secured a place in the Everton Youth Team until he was injured in a game which left him in awful pain for many years. He says prevention is the solution, above all through exercise and better posture. "I'm a firm believer in personal choice; taking care of your own health has to come high in your priorities. In my view education is the key to ensuring that we take our personal fitness seriously from an early age."

In my own quest for a pain-free back, I have sought various treatments. My doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, but this merely reduced the symptoms.

A good friend suggested I visit an osteopath - a clinician practised in releasing the tensions that build up in muscles, ligaments, nerves and joints. The recommendation came with a warning: their adjusting techniques can be brutal or useless. Too fierce and they leave you feeling like you've been karate-chopped; too gentle and they have treated you to a pleasant massage but failed to tackle the problem.

Clicking my back into position with osteopathy seemed to fix the problem temporarily but my back still remains vulnerable especially when I am sat at my desk for a long period of time.

Whatever the doubts of some doctors, I believe in osteopathy. The NHS recognises its value, as you can - in theory - be referred by a GP but it really depends on the individual surgery, though if you can afford a private session it might be quicker to arrange it yourself. However, unless you take gentle exercise to improve your muscles and adopt a better posture, the pain will probably return.

It seems, therefore, that there is no avoiding regular exercise. Weak stomach and back muscles mixed with a life sat in front of your PC is a recipe for bad backs. Exercise will strengthen the core muscles surrounding the spine and ease the tension in the lower back.

"You must stretch every day," says Mike. "But it's more important to find a routine that works for you. If you don't do any movement to stretch the back eventually it will stiffen up and that is when you can cause muscle spasms. Each person I treat has a unique problem, so I prefer to recommend a personal program as I see each patient.

"We see lots of people this time of year who hit the gardening with gusto and then end up suffering, it's due to the fact that all winter they don't move and suddenly they do heavy lifting or weeding and that is how easy it is to send a muscle into spasm."

Tai Chi and yoga are recommended but I've taken up Pilates instead which focuses on the core portal muscles which help keep the body balanced and which are essential to provide support for the spine - just what I need.

It seems to be working. One session on, my lower back is pain-free; true, it is often knotted, so I nag my boyfriend for massages - usually in vain. With back pain, like alcoholism, it is rash to declare oneself cured; but for now, it seems bad backs are behind me, well at least until next month.

Mike Furlong is a registered osteopath at the Balance Heath Centre on 0151 236 6442.