Back & spine Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
Back Pain
- Aching or stiffness across the lower back
- Pain worse after sitting or standing too long
- Difficulty bending or straightening up
- Muscle spasm
Quick answer
Back pain is usually mechanical, meaning it comes from the joints, discs and muscles of the spine rather than from disease. Most episodes settle within four to six weeks with movement, graded exercise and hands-on treatment. Staying active helps; extended bed rest makes recovery slower.
Typical recovery
Most episodes settle in 4–6 weeks
A typical range, not a promise — how long it takes depends on how long it has been going on, and on what you do between appointments.
Around eight in ten adults get back pain at some point. In the large majority it is mechanical: the joints, discs, ligaments and muscles of the lower back are irritated, not diseased. That distinction matters, because mechanical pain responds well to movement and poorly to rest.
What it usually feels like
A deep ache across the lower back, often one-sided, worse after sitting for a long stretch or first thing in the morning. Bending forward or straightening up is stiff and guarded. Many people describe a spasm that grips when they move a certain way.
Pain that travels below the knee, with pins and needles or numbness, is more likely to be nerve-related — see sciatica.
Why it happens
Rarely one dramatic event. Usually a combination: hours of sitting with the back in one position, weak trunk and hip muscles, a sudden lift that the back was not conditioned for, and low general activity. Age-related disc changes show up on scans in plenty of people who have no pain at all, which is why imaging findings are interpreted carefully rather than treated as the cause.
How physiotherapy helps
Assessment first — which movements provoke it, which relieve it, and whether the nerve is involved. Then:
- Hands-on treatment to reduce spasm and restore movement in stiff segments
- Graded exercise for the trunk, hips and glutes, which are almost always part of the problem
- Retraining the movements that keep re-irritating it: lifting, sitting, getting out of a car
- A short home programme, because two or three exercises daily beat one clinic hour a week
How long it takes
Most first episodes settle substantially within four to six weeks. Recurrent or long-standing back pain takes longer — eight to twelve weeks — and the strengthening phase is what reduces the chance of the next episode.
When to seek help urgently
Go to a hospital rather than a physiotherapist if back pain comes with numbness around the groin or inner thighs, loss of bladder or bowel control, or progressive weakness in both legs. These are rare but they are emergencies. Also see a doctor first if the pain follows a significant fall, or comes with fever or unexplained weight loss.
Medically reviewed by Pooja Tyagi, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026