Patient Success Story – treating Back and Hip Pain with Physiotherapy

Are you struggling with back and hip pain? Do you want to be able to live a long active and healthy life like Jacquie, a 83 year old from Havant?

This is Jacquie she attended Physio-logical as she had severe pain and stiffness in her back and right hip. Her goal was to continue to be able to play county level bowls and golf.

Ageing doesn’t mean slowing down. Many people want to stay active in their hobbies and sports. Below we will be sharing the story of one of our inspirational patients (they have provided us with consent to do so).

Mrs B is aged 83 and although a retired PE teacher, she still enjoys playing golf and bowls at county level. She attends regular maintenance sessions at Physio-logical to keep mobile, reduce pain, and keep her on the green!

What made you decide to start having physiotherapy at Physio-logical?

I was in pain after exercise and noticed your premises in passing.

What symptoms did Mrs B initial present with:

Gradual onset of pain in her thigh with pain travelling down the leg, that was getting worse with activity. Her symptoms began 5 – 6 years ago, but have become worse over the past 12 months. She described the pain as a ‘cramp-like’ sensation in the thigh with intermittent pins and needles and lower back pain.

What was the diagnosis?

After completing a full assessment, which involved asking questions, observing movements, carrying out special tests and clearing red flags, we then moved onto a physical examination, which included neurological assessment and palpation to determine the diagnosis was “L5/S1 Lumbar Radiculopathy with lumbar degenerative changes”. In layman’s terms, this is a common form of lower back pain with nerve involvement, similar to sciatica but affecting a different nerve.

What advice did we give?

We reassured her that despite being in pain, that does not always correlate to tissue damage and that also nothing serious was wrong and we can certainly help to resolve and manage this condition with physiotherapy.

 What treatment did we do?

• Soft-Tissue Massage to her lower back and glute muscles along with her quads.
• Spinal mobilisations to her lumbar vertebrae (Lower back)
• Exercises – Spinal mobility, glute strengthening and neural glides along with some core-strengthening exercises. Here’s an example of some of the exercises we have been doing with Mrs B:

Cat/Camel Pose

• Start on your hands and knees with your back in a neutral position
• Arch your back, lifting your head up and pushing your tail bone out
• Hold this position
• Next, bend your back up by tucking your head and tail bone in.
• Hold this position and repeat

Knees Side to Side

• Lie on your back with knees bent and your feet flat on the floor
• Extend your arms out to the sides and try and keep your shoulders flat
• Keeping your knees together, drop them down to one side, rotating your torso
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side
• Only go as far as you can comfortably.

Bridge

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
• Tighten your buttock muscles and lift your hips up into a bridge position
• Keep hips up and level through the movement

Nerve Mobilisation

• Sit up straight on the edge of the bed and drop your chin down
• Start with your knee and ankle bent
• Straighten your knee and point your toes
• At the same time, lift your head up, keep your back straight throughout
• Immediately bend your knee and ankle again, and look down to return to the start position
• Do not push into pain or tension, and keep this movement fluid.

Table Top

• Lie on your back
• Engage your deep core muscles
• Bring one leg up into table top and hold
• Bring the second leg up into double table top
• Hold for 5 secs
• Lower one leg back down at a time

 Mrs B; Can you share specific examples of how your mobility or pain levels have improved since starting with Physio-logical?

Mobility has slightly improved and there is a longer gap before pain occurs. The femoral nerve pain that I was struggling with after activity has eased.

Mrs B; Have you noticed any unexpected or surprising benefits from consistent physiotherapy sessions with Physio-logical?

Easier movement, immediately after the session and then longer lasting benefits.

Mrs B; In what ways has your relationship with your physiotherapist at Physio-logical contributed to your continued commitment to therapy?

It has helped with my mobility, and provided a positive outlook and looking for an improved future.

Mrs B; Can you share advice or insights with others who may be considering a longer-term maintenance physiotherapy journey?

The initial consultation helps reassure and provide support and physical therapy sessions relieves pain.

At Physio-logical, we believe maintenance physiotherapy and sports therapy sessions allow patients to keep mobile, maintain strength and flexibility, rather than just treating an injury. It allows us to focus on injury prevention, balance and joint health and ongoing treatment allows us to spot problems early before they become limiting. Jacquie has joined our silver membership which is enabling her to continue to live the active life she wants to lead.

We are sharing Mrs B’s experience at Physio-logical to reinforce that age shouldn’t be a barrier to staying active. Physiotherapy and Sports Therapy isn’t only about rehab after an injury; it can be proactive and preventative.

If this blog has made you think about what activities you want to keep going as you age then please do book a session or a consultation to see how we can support your lifestyle.

To book, please either book online by clicking here Make a Booking, call us on 023 9435 0270 or send us an email enquiries@physio-logical.net