"Ouch! My Back Hurts!”

It was on a Sunday in last December, I went to play golf with my husband and Eve and Jonathan. Jonathan is a professional golfer and golf coach at the local country club. Eve was invited to have a nice day out on the course just for “Fun”. We started at 8:30am and without realising it took us 3 hours to complete the 12 hole course. It was a nice day out, we had a golf buggy so we didn’t have to be out in the sun for too long.. or be walking miles. I don’t know who would be complaining about that the most. Without having to go through all the scores, you know who won.. It was quite close – well not really. My husband claims that out of the three amatures, he won. 

We had fun golfing!

Anyhow, that’s not really important. What’s important is that we all had fun. It had been a while since I last played golf, which is probably why I had a problem with my back.

This is what I really wanted to talk about and to share my recovery story with you. 

Visiting a Physiotherapist in Singapore after my back hurts

After doing my research on how a golfers back can be treated, the best option I had was to visit a physiotherapist in Singapore. I say golfers back as if I’m a professional..but the term golfers back is what I had been diagnosed with by my physio. As I had been placing rotational stresses on my back for 3 hours and in a bent-over stance, it is no doubt that my back was in pain! I had been standing and swinging my body more than usual that was not normal or I was not used to.

A modern day golfers swing is designed to hit long and hard. However, the issue with this kind of swing is that it is not very good for the back. Especially as I had not played for a while, extra movement to my pelvis and the muscles between the pelvis and lumbar spine had been pulled. It is most common for golfers to experience some kind of back pain but never did I think it could happen to me so severely after only a few hours! 

Luckily, I only had minor strains to my back and I managed to get myself to a physiotherapy clinic in time to treat it. At the physiotherapist, I went through multiple rounds of rehabilitation, strengthening and conditioning exercises and heat therapy to treat the inflammation of the stretched ligaments, tendons and muscles. It was an ongoing treatment, which I needed to continue with outside of the physiotherapy sessions over 2 – 3 months. This included, maintaining my diet, light conditioning training, extra warm up and stretching time after any light exercise I could do which was all listed to me as part of my recovery. The physiotherapist in Singapore, really made me feel more confident in becoming back-pain free and was very detailed in allocating – suggested time spent, intensity, type of recovery exercises that would best get me back to living a normal life. 

Back pain is something many people

Back pain is something many people will experience at some stage during our lives and is the most frequent reason for missed days at work. Back pain affects primarily the lower back and the fantastic news is, that typically, the cause of pain is not serious and may be resolved in a couple of days or months. However, some symptoms can be more serious requiring a full assessment and identification by an experienced Physiotherapist or GP. 

This guide can enable you to determine when self-help is enough or if it's ideal to look for further advice. If you are experiencing back pain, our Physiotherapy and Occupational Health teams are here to assist by providing comprehensive treatment and guidance. On-site office or workstation assessments will also be available which can be the best beginning point for back pain at work. Understanding Your Back Your spine consists of 24 separate bones called vertebrae which are attached together by a series of ligaments and soft tissue. 

The lower part of your spine is joined to the sacrum which is part of your anus. The curves, contours and various dimensions of the vertebrae (along with the disks found between them), help to evenly distribute the weight of the body onto the spine and making the flexibility required to bend or rotate your spine. A complex group of muscles are attached to the backbone which allows you to maneuver your spine. Additionally, there are postural muscles that help to maintain the shape and curves of your spine, keeping them in the appropriate place, as well as help to keep you erect. The spinal cord passes through the middle of every vertebra. The cord ends on your lower spine where it becomes a string of strands known as the"cauda equina" (horses tail).

Either side of each vertebra are spinal nerve exits from the spinal cord which pass motor and sensory signals between your brain and a particular portion of the body which the nerve innervates. The usual cause of back pain, especially lower back pain, is that a combination of poor posture and lack of motion, typically seen with individuals who sit for long periods. This is known as mechanical back pain and isn't a serious condition. However, it can be embarrassing and bothersome to experience a constant annoyance or pain in your spine. Physiotherapy is excellent for treating pain. Along with advice on correcting your posture, appropriate exercises and self-treatment techniques, your back pain should fix in a few days or weeks. However, there are more complex causes of back pain, for instance, disc prolapse, joint impingement, ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis, fracture or arthritis which require a more sophisticated assessment. 

Indicators of Lower Back Pain When you start to develop postural back pain it manifests itself as a low-grade ache normally combined with stiffness in your lower spine. Symptoms are normally alleviated with light exercise or by avoiding long periods of sitting, such as at weekends. However, if symptoms are disregarded, the pain will become continuous, only to varying degrees. The amount of stiffness may also rise. Sometimes symptoms may be associated with conditions aside from poor posture, as an instance, prolapsed disk, fracture, facet joint impingement or nerve root compression. • 

Pins and needles or numbness in the buttocks, lower limbs or toes • Pain going down the back or front of your leg • More severe back pain, especially when bending forward These symptoms need to be properly evaluated through an experienced Physiotherapist. They'll diagnose the cause of your back pain and supply appropriate therapy, management and guidance. A tiny percentage of back pain can be caused by more serious ailments like cauda equina, where the nerves in the base of your spinal cord are being compacted. If you experience any of the following you should seek immediate medical advice: • Unsteady when standing or walking • Difficulties controlling or passing bladder or intestines or numbness in either area • If you have a previous history of osteoporosis or cancer • 

Back pain accompanied by unexplained weight loss or fever Back Stress and Poor Posture Poor posture is normally the result of weak or imbalanced heart muscles that help keep the spine in the correct place -- like guidelines of a tent. When these muscles are weak it's very difficult to keep your spine in the correct or neutral position, particularly when sitting for extended periods. 

Eventually, the soft tissue structures around the spine become helpless, originally manifesting as a dull ache across your lower back, but if the overload is not reduced, eventually pain and stiffness will grow. Other muscles may also be leading to developing poor posture and back pain. For Instance, your main leg muscles (hamstrings and quadriceps) can be tight from in For further information call 6469 3870 or 6312 2388 or info@themovingbody.com.sg click more  physiotherapists in singapore