MSK Physiotherapy Resources - Back - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

General Information

Resources for your Back (alternatively visit our Hip or Thigh/Leg/Calf resource pages)

Approximately 80% of people will experience an episode of low back pain (LBP) at some point in their life. It is common for some people to experience more regular episodes of back pain. It is important to remember although LBP can be very painful, it is rarely due to a serious cause. Your back is strong and resilient.

Urgent / Out of Hours Health Care

If in doubt which service is best for you, call 111 for advice or visit LLR ICB Urgent Health Care for more information.

A sprain / strain e.g. sports-related or work-related (lifting something awkwardly or something that is heavier than what you are physically conditioned for)
A sudden increase or decrease in your normal exercise/activity levels
A number of factors have been associated with LBP, these include a period of increased stress, worry or low mood, poor sleep, fatigue or being run down.

You may experience any of the following:

Pain in your lower back region, which may travel into your buttocks, thighs or hips.
Stiffness after a period of rest/reduced movement e.g. first thing in the morning
Difficulty moving e.g. getting up from a chair or out of bed, or bending and lifting.

LBP will normally resolve without any medical intervention within 6-8 weeks. Try some of these self-help strategies to assist your recovery:

For the first few days after an initial injury, changing or reducing your usual activities may help. However there is strong evidence that keeping active and gradually returning to all your usual activities and exercise is important to help recovery.
It is normal to experience some pain during your recovery - remember, hurt does not always mean harm.
Try to stay at work, or return as soon as you are able to. Your employer/GP/Health Practitioner should be able to support a graded return to your normal duties.
You can any form of exercise, e.g. walking, yoga, gardening, swimming and cycling, or you could try some of the exercises included in the resource section of this website.
If sitting causes pain and your job involves long periods of sitting, adopting varied postures may be helpful.
Good sleep habits and managing stress can help you cope better with your pain.

There are occasions where you may have a combination of back and leg pain. These symptoms can be distressing, but don't necessarily require medical attention.

If you have tried the self-help measures on these pages and the symptoms have not settled, you can self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy if you live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland.

For more information on how to self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy visit our Service Page.

Call 111 if you have any of the following symptoms immediately:

Pain in both legs accompanied by weakness and/or a loss of feeling/pins and needles
Loss of feeling/pins and needles between your inner thighs or genitals
Numbness in or around your back passage or buttocks
Altered feeling when using toilet paper to wipe yourself
Increasing difficulty when you try to urinate
Increasing difficulty when you try to stop or control your flow of urine
Loss of sensation when you pass urine
Leaking urine or recent need to use pads
Not knowing when your bladder is either full or empty
Inability to stop a bowel movement or leaking
Loss of sensation when you pass a bowel movement
Change in ability to achieve an erection or ejaculate
Loss of sensation in genitals during sexual intercourse
An unexplained onset of low back pain accompanied by a history of TB, HIV, cancer or inflammatory arthritis
Feeling unwell with your low back pain and have a loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss