The back problems people come to us with
Back pain covers a lot of different problems. Where the pain goes, how it started and how long it has been there all change what is worth doing about it. The first appointment is spent working out which of these it is, or whether it is something else.
Pain that runs down your leg
Pain that starts in the lower back or buttock and travels down the back of the leg, sometimes past the knee and into the foot. It can come with pins and needles, numbness or a weak feeling in the leg, and is often worse when sitting. This is what most people mean by sciatica: a nerve in the lower back is irritated and you feel it in the leg.
Back pain that came on suddenly
Lifting, bending, twisting, or sometimes nothing you can put your finger on. The back locks up, goes into spasm and every movement is careful. It is frightening when it happens, but it is very common, and staying as active as you can is usually part of getting over it.
Back pain that keeps coming back
A back that has ached for months, or flares up every few weeks after gardening, a long drive or a day at a desk. The work here is less about one flare-up and more about why it keeps happening, and what you can build up so it happens less.
What happens at your first appointment
The first appointment is fifty minutes, with a chartered physiotherapist, in a private room.
- The story first. When it started, where the pain goes, what makes it better or worse, how you are sleeping, and what you want to get back to: work, driving, picking up the children, a round of golf.
- Watching you move. Bending, straightening, getting up from a chair, walking. How your back moves tells us a lot more than how it looks.
- Checking the nerves. If pain goes into your leg, we test the strength, reflexes and feeling in your legs. This is how we tell an irritated nerve from pain that is only coming from the back, and how we spot anything that needs a doctor.
- A plain explanation and a plan. What we think is going on, in words that make sense, what we suggest doing about it, and what you can do at home. You leave with exercises, not just an appointment card.
The treatment room at Alcester.
What the plan might include
For most back pain and sciatica, exercise and staying active are the main part of it. That means building strength and confidence in how your back moves, at a pace your back will put up with. Hands-on treatment can help alongside that, but not instead of it.
That is also how NICE, which sets clinical guidance in England, puts it: an exercise programme, with hands-on treatment only as part of a package that includes exercise. Read the NICE guidance on low back pain and sciatica.
What we will not sell you: a back belt, a corset, insoles or a TENS machine for your back. NICE advises against all of them for low back pain, and so do we.
Where you can be seen
We run two clinics, and back and sciatica assessments are available at both. Your records follow you between the two, so you can start in one and carry on in the other without starting again.
Alcester
The Greig Leisure Centre, Kinwarton Road, Alcester, B49 6AD
Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm. Mark is here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Leanne Styzaker (HCPC PH121607) is here on Thursday evenings.
Redditch
51 Bromsgrove Road, Redditch, B97 4RH
Thursdays, 9am to 2pm, with Mark Dyer (HCPC PH90683).
Both physiotherapists can be checked on the HCPC register. More about the team →
Questions people ask about back pain and sciatica
Do I need a GP referral or a scan first?
No to both. You can book yourself in. Most back pain and sciatica does not need a scan, and NICE advises against routine scans for it. A scan often shows changes that are normal for your age and have nothing to do with the pain. If we think a scan would change what happens next, we will tell you why and explain the options for getting one.
How long will it take, and how many sessions will I need?
The NHS says sciatica usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months, though it can last longer. We will not guess how many sessions you need before we have seen you. By the end of the first appointment you will know what we think is going on, what we suggest, and what should have changed by when. If it is not changing, we will say so and change the plan.
Should I rest, or keep moving?
Keep moving as much as you can. Staying in bed tends to make back pain last longer. You do not have to push through bad pain, but carrying on with normal life as far as possible, and gentle exercise as soon as you can manage it, is usually the right direction. We will help you find where your limit is.
When should I not wait for an appointment?
Rarely, back pain comes with signs that the nerves at the bottom of the spine are being squashed. Go to A&E or call 999 if you have back pain or sciatica and any of these, and they are not normal for you:
- numbness around or under your genitals, or around your bottom
- you find it hard to start peeing, cannot pee, or cannot control when you pee
- you do not notice when you need to poo, or cannot control it
- sciatica in both legs, or weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe or getting worse
Do not book with us first for any of these. The NHS sciatica page has more.
Are there exercise sheets I can look at now?
Yes. These are general sheets, not a plan for your back. If an exercise makes the pain clearly worse, or sends it further down your leg, stop it and get it checked.
What does it cost?
All our fees are on the pricing page. We are a self-pay clinic: you pay us directly and can claim it back yourself if your insurance allows. We give you a receipt with everything an insurer asks for. We do not bill insurers directly and we do not accept Bupa.
We see children from age seven upwards, with a parent or guardian in the room. When you ring 07380 841468 the call is answered around the clock by Susie, our AI receptionist. Ask for a person and you will get one.
Book a back assessment
Fifty minutes with a chartered physiotherapist, at Alcester or Redditch. No referral needed.
Rated 5.0 from 26 Google reviews at Alcester and 4.9 from 76 at Redditch. Also on this site: physiotherapy.
