As you go through life, a slight loss of proper movement of the bones/joints can interfere with the healthy working of your spine, and the nerves that pass through it. These can lead to pain. Chiropractic, unlike painkilling drugs, treats the cause of pain, not just the pain itself. Your chiropractor will carry out a full examination (including x-rays if necessary), and ask you questions about your posture, medical history and lifestyle, to try and discover the cause of your back pain and offer a diagnosis of your complaint.

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Then your treatment will begin, often with gentle, specific manipulations done by hand, to free stiff joints and remove spinal nerve irritation. This effective drug-free treatment is generally painless, although you may feel some short-term discomfort if your back is very sore.

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Your chiropractor may recommend ice or heat treatment and massage. Scientific research shows that you should remain active – prolonged bed rest weakens the bones and muscles and reduces your chances of a full recovery so you may also be advised to take regular gentle exercise to ease your pain, and help your body to recuperate.

Poor posture may lead to back pain. Your chiropractor may advise you to make postural changes if you:

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• Spend hours a day sitting at a desk or a computer

• Slouch in front of the TV

• Sleep in a bed that is too hard or too soft

• Find yourself hunching your back and shoulders in stressful situations

Repeating daily activities such as bending, lifting and twisting may result in a ‘bad back’. This is why your chiropractor will want to understand how you tackle these everyday movements.

Spinal discs are fibrous rings, containing a soft gel like ‘cushion’, between each of your spinal bones (vertebrae). Discs cannot slip, because they are attached to the vertebrae, but the term ‘slipped disc’ can mean disc damage such as a bulge, (prolapse), a tear or rupture (partial or total). The resulting pressure or irritation on the nerves that exit your spine can cause pain in your back, or ‘referred’ pain over an area through which the nerves pass. Sciatica, for example, is leg pain caused by nerve irritation or pressure in the lower spine. Your chiropractor can help with sciatic pain, and your chiropractor will explain the cause of your pain – it may not be a ‘slipped disc’ as many other problems have similar pain patterns.

Repeating daily activities such as bending, lifting and twisting may result in a ‘bad back’. This is why your chiropractor will want to understand how you tackle these everyday movements.