Lower back pain

Common causes

• Long periods of sitting, driving or standing
• Lifting, at work, at the gym or around the house
• Tight hips and glutes pulling on the lower back
• Training load that's gone up faster than the body has adapted

How Rafael treats it

Lower back pain often involves more than the lower back. Rafael checks the surrounding areas too: glutes, hip flexors, the muscles along the spine and the hamstrings. He then works the ones that are tight or tender, using deep tissue and trigger point techniques.

How long to book

60 minutes for the lower back and hips. 90 minutes if the pain has been around a long time or spreads into the upper back or legs.

When to see a doctor first

See a GP straight away if back pain comes with numbness around the groin, changes in bladder or bowel control, weakness in the legs, fever or unexplained weight loss, or follows a fall or accident.