BACK PAIN AFFECTS MORE THAN YOUR BACK. | PART 3 OF 3
A walk with the dog. Cooking dinner for the family. Getting through a shift without worrying about how the journey home will feel.
When someone asks for help with back pain, there is often an ordinary part of life they want back. As we close our Back Care Awareness Week series, that is where we want to leave the conversation: what would getting better let you do?
For physios, sports therapists and occupational therapists, the answer can make a clinical plan more meaningful to the person following it. For someone living with pain, it can be a useful starting point for explaining what they need help with.
Start with one activity that matters
"I want to be more active" is a reasonable aim, but it leaves a lot open. Walking to the shops, taking a dog around the park and returning to a long weekend hike are very different activities. Ask which one the person has in mind, what they miss about it and which part currently feels difficult.
A conversation about gardening might reveal that carrying pots is the concern. A conversation about cooking might be about standing at the worktop. That detail gives you something concrete to discuss together, without promising a particular timetable for recovery.
Turn the goal into a useful conversation
At the next appointment, try working through these four prompts:
- The activity: What would you most like to get back to?
- The difficult part: What happens when you try it now?
- The next step: What would be suitable to try or adapt, based on your assessment and advice?
- The review: What will you look at together to decide whether the plan needs changing?
Someone who wants to cook for their family may need a discussion about preparation, carrying and the layout of the kitchen. Someone who wants to return to an exercise class may need a different conversation about movements and confidence. The point is to make the next step fit the person's circumstances.
The NHS advises staying active and trying to continue everyday activities, while seeking help when back pain is affecting daily life. Exercise should suit the individual. NHS advice is to stop if exercises make the pain worse and seek advice from a GP.
Make room for difficult days
A useful plan should leave room to talk about what did not go as expected. Was the task harder after a busy shift? Was there less help at home? Did the person feel unsure about the instructions? These are useful details for a review.
Ask about the activity as well as the symptoms. What did the person manage, what was difficult, and what would they like help with next? A change to the plan should follow that conversation and the appropriate assessment.
If you are reading this for yourself, write down the activity you miss and the part you find difficult. Bring it to your next appointment. You do not need to work out the solution before asking for help.
Keep this week's resources to hand
Our first article explored how back pain can affect everyday life. The second looked at making shopping, cooking and eating well more manageable.
You can also download our free four-page patient guide, Everyday tasks with back pain. It includes a planning page to complete together and take home.
New arrivals and best sellers for your practice
To round off the week, here are two updates to our range alongside established clinic favourites. Choose equipment around the person's needs and your professional judgement. These are options for your practice, not a treatment recommendation for every reader.
NEW ARRIVAL
Extra Sticky Kinesiology Tape
A stronger adhesive for applications that need more hold. The familiar 5m x 5cm uncut roll, in Light Blue or Beige.
For clinicians choosing a stronger adhesive for a particular taping application. Select tape for the person and their skin, and follow the product instructions. Stronger adhesion is a product feature, not a promise of better recovery.
£6.41 per roll ex VAT
From £4.48 per roll ex VAT at 50+
NEW FORMULA
Resistance Loops
Our best-selling latex-free loops, now with a new formula. Four resistance levels to choose from for your exercise sessions.
A compact option when a resistance exercise is part of an agreed programme. Choose from Light, Medium, Heavy and X-Heavy. The appropriate resistance, movement and progression depend on the person; a band is not a ready-made back pain programme.
£2.49 per loop ex VAT
From £1.25 per loop ex VAT at 100+
BEST SELLER
Standard Kinesiology Tape
Keep the standard adhesive option to hand. A flexible 5m x 5cm uncut roll in four colours, ready to cut for each application.
Our standard adhesive tape remains available alongside Extra Sticky. Keeping both options makes it easier to choose for the application, rather than assuming every patient needs the strongest hold. Follow the directions for application and removal.
£5.99 per roll ex VAT
From £4.19 per roll ex VAT at 50+
BEST SELLER
Reusable Hot & Cold Pack
One reusable gel pack for warm or cold use. Available individually or by the box for your clinic and patient take-home supplies.
Available individually or in boxes of 14 and 28. Where heat or cold is suitable, follow the pack instructions and use an appropriate protective layer between the pack and skin. Ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure whether it is suitable for you.
£2.49 per pack ex VAT
£1.10 each ex VAT in a box of 28
Thank you for being part of the week
This brings our Back Care Awareness Week series to a close. Thank you for reading and sharing the resources with your patients. Meglio has made a donation to BackCare to support their work, and all three articles and the patient guide remain available whenever you need them.
General information, not individual medical advice. If back pain is stopping everyday activities or is not improving, seek advice from a healthcare professional. For urgent symptoms and when to get emergency help, see the NHS back pain guidance.
