Lower Back Pain
The commonest reason people come to us, and in Nakuru, most often the back of someone who cannot simply stop and rest.
Common symptoms
- , Ache or stiffness across the lower back
- , Worse after bending or lifting
- , Difficulty straightening up
- , Muscle spasm or locking
- , Pain spreading into the buttock
Common causes
- , Repeated bending and lifting at work
- , Carrying loads on the back or head
- , Long hours driving
- , Weak or deconditioned trunk muscles
- , Disc or joint irritation
Mechanical, not damaged
Nearly all lower back pain involves muscles, joints and discs that are irritated rather than injured. That distinction sets the treatment: irritated tissue responds to graded movement and does badly with fear and prolonged rest.
Pain intensity is a poor guide to seriousness. Spasm can be agonising and settle in a fortnight; a dull persistent ache is often the more stubborn problem.
Backs that have to keep working
Most back pain guidance is written for people who can take a fortnight easy. A great deal of Nakuru’s back pain belongs to people who cannot: farm workers, traders, drivers, builders.
That changes the approach rather than removing it. What can be modified usually is: how the load is lifted, whether it can be split, how the day is broken up, which single task is doing the most damage. Then strength work to raise what the back tolerates.
It is slower than treating someone who can rest. It is not futile, and pretending otherwise is how people end up carrying a problem for years.
What helps
Hands-on treatment settles symptoms and restores movement. The durable change comes from progressive loading until the tissue handles what your work actually demands.
Two or three exercises, done consistently. Not a sheet of twenty.
How we treat it
- , Manual therapy to restore movement
- , Graded loading and trunk strengthening
- , Lifting and carrying technique
- , Realistic work modification
- , A short home programme
Typical recovery: Most cases improve substantially within 2–6 weeks
See a doctor urgently if you have
- !Loss of bladder or bowel control
- !Numbness around the groin or inner thighs
- !Progressive weakness in a leg
- !Back pain after a fall or collision
- !Unexplained weight loss or fever with back pain
These are not physiotherapy problems. Go to a doctor or hospital rather than booking with us.
Treatments that help
Common questions
I cannot stop working. Is treatment pointless?
No, but the plan has to be honest about it. Advice to rest for six weeks is useless if resting means not eating. We work on what can be modified (how you lift, how you break up the day, and building the capacity to tolerate the work) rather than pretending you can stop.
Do I need an X-ray?
Usually not. Imaging of pain-free adults routinely shows degeneration, so scans often find things that are not causing your pain and add worry that slows recovery. We will tell you if one is genuinely needed.
Is carrying loads on my head bad for my back?
Not inherently, done with a straight spine it loads the body reasonably well. The trouble comes from the weight, the repetition, and the bending down to lift and set down. That is where technique makes a real difference.
Book a physiotherapist in Nakuru
Clinic appointments in Milimani, or a physiotherapist at your door across Nakuru. Same-week slots.