Nobody wakes up one day with a "bad back."

When you've been wondering why does my back pain keep coming back, probably it's not just a random occurrence, it's probably the first time you feel a twinge you don't notice, the next time you feel stiffness you mention to a colleague and the next time it is the reason you miss the gym, cancel plans or wince getting out of a car.

Pain does not just “green-up” all at once, it “green ups” in stages. Most people just ask the question when they get to the final one.

The 3 Stages of Pain and Ache to Pain and Chronic Pain

If your back and neck pain is recurring, it's not likely to just show up, it gradually progresses from being a mild pain you don't bother about to one you're so accustomed to that you've even adjusted your life around it. The quickest way to avoid moving on to the next stage is to identify where you are in the process. This is the usual sequence of events.

Stage 1: Ignoring the Warning

At the end of the day, this is a stiff neck. The back is tight at the end of the trip. Only one shoulder pulls during one particular motion.

It's easy, and often correct, to assume this point, at this stage. It isn't rocket science, the majority of people are correct. Many stresses are taken by the body each day with no problem.

Its not that you're not noticing this stage. The question is, what do you do when it happens again?

Stage 2: Chronic/Recurring Neck or Back Pain

You have normalized the pain.

It's back when it doesn't happen all the time, but enough to begin to work around it. In sleep, you lie on the opposite side. Some exercises are omitted. You take painkillers before it ever begins, you never know.

At this point, most people still don't seek help. Rather, they do manage it, a massage, a heat pack, a few days of rest, perhaps some posture correction at your desk. These are not "bad" things to do, they deal with the flare-up, but they don't deal with the cause of it.

To reiterate, if the pain is recurring on a timetable, then some thing under the timetable has not altered. It may be a movement pattern, a strength imbalance, a workload that's exceeding your recovery or a joint that's taking the strain from another joint that's failing to work properly. The difference between a temporary fix and a lasting cure is knowing the true reason behind the recurring neck pain and treating the problem, instead of each episode.

Stage 3: You alter your lifestyle to suit the limitation.

This is the stage which everyone will reach at some point, and this is the most avoidable stage to reach. It's also where a little pain has turned into a chronic pain.

The pain isn't something you have to deal with from time to time. Shaping decisions, what you don't do, how you sit, how you sleep, what you don't do anymore without thinking about it first. Little did you know that your daily routine was subtly changed by a Stage 1 twinge.

The sad thing about Stage 3 problems is that they're usually Stage 1 problems that have been muted repeatedly and never solved. The difference between chronic pain and acute pain is that it is not the same thing to 'Muting' as it is to ‘Resolving'.

Chronic Pain vs Acute Pain: ‘Muting' is not the same as ‘Resolving'

Acute pain is your body's reaction to a strain or injury; it is supposed to go away when the tissue is healing. Chronic pain occurs when that signal continues to fire long after the problem is gone, and often, the cause of the pain has not been identified or treated.

There's room for rest, massage, sprays and short-term relief. They put out fires. While calming down an outbreak and solving the problem is two different tasks, only one of them stops Stage 2 from turning into Stage 3, from an acute to a chronic condition.

If the cause of the problem (mobility, weak or overloaded muscle group, movement mechanics, lack of recovery, etc.) is not ever identified, then the same cause will continue to produce the same effect. Not because your body is vulnerable, but because the problem was never solved, it was only muted. That's where focused mobility exercises and a correct movement assessment comes in more use than another dose of rest.

When to visit a physiotherapist for back/neck pain

It doesn't require a diagnosis to be aware that it is time for an assessment. You need a pattern. If the pain is recurrent, think about physiotherapy if:

  • The pain has come back 3 or more times recently
  • You've begun to make changes to your routine to prevent the recurrence of it.
  • Rest and short-term fixes help less and less every time
  • We haven't seen any significant progress in weeks.
  • You don't know why it's happening, but it is!

All of these are not signs of serious complications. They mean that it is important to know what is really going on before it escalates to Stage 2 becomes Stage 3. When it comes to finding a physiotherapist near me, you can choose from a variety of options.There are several ways to find a physiotherapist near me and book a physiotherapy assessment.

The Real Goal Isn't Pain-Free. It's Pattern-Free.

One stiff morning is no big problem. If it is information, and if it comes back every morning, and if you are not paying attention, it is not going to go away.

The sooner the pattern is detected, the smaller the patch typically will be.

Avoid asking the Stage 1 question, why does this keep happening? at Stage 3.