Back Recovery

Name: David

Age: 51

Condition: A father of three and avid golfer, Dave first came to Precision Physio back in 2009, presenting with chronic low back pain after having gone through prior back surgery.

David reported that his back pain had started after sitting on an uncomfortable chair for a number of hours one afternoon. This pain had developed into a constant ache that was aggravated by sitting down, even for short periods of time.

After a detailed physiotherapy assessment it was found that his back pain was caused by a right sided L5 nerve root compression and a lumbar spine extension dysfunction. During the assessment it was also found David had a number of factors that contributed to his back pain, including restricted movement of the joints of his lumbar, thoracic and cervical spine, restricted hip joint movement, tight hip muscles, poor lumbopelvic movement patterning and poor core stability.

David was eager to make a change and expressed a keen interest to lose weight, improve his mobility and improve his overall health.

Treatment: In order to effectively address the factors that were causing him pain and limiting his ability to be active, the physiotherapy team worked with David three times a week using a combination of manual techniques, including traction techniques, soft tissue releases and spinal mobilisations, as well as exercises to improve David’s joint range of motion and muscle flexibility.

Outcome: Over a 4 month period, David’s pain and movements dramatically improved. He started working with the Exercise Physiology team to continue improving and developing his mobility, strength and stability of his knees and hips, and working on his weight loss goals with a tailored home exercise program.

David still regularly comes to the Movement Masters exercise class every week. He continues to develop his strength and mobility to improve his golf game. Whenever he has a flare up of his back pain he makes sure to come back to see the Precision Physio team as he understands the importance of maintaining his mobility and moving with better quality to get him back to his best.