Be Strong Physio 10 back pain facts + movement, posture and recovery from low back pain with Kevin Wernli
On this episode it was a privilege to have Physiotherapist Kevin Wernli on the podcast.
Kevin is physiotherapist, has completed his PHD on low back pain at Curtin University and is a great communicator.
This is a great episode to listen to if you currently have low back pain or help people who do.
We covered the 10 facts about low back pain which are:
- Persistent back pain can be scary, but it’s rarely dangerous.
- Getting older is not a cause of back pain.
- Persistent back pain is RARELY associated with serious tissue damage.
- Scans rarely show the cause of back pain.
- Pain with exercise and movement doesn’t mean you are doing harm.
- Back pain is not caused by poor posture.
- Back pain is not caused by a “weak core”.
- Backs do not wear out with everyday loading and bending.
- Pain flare-ups don’t mean you are damaging yourself.
- Injections, surgery and strong drugs usually aren’t a cure.
We then took a deep dive into posture and movement and their relationship to low back pain and how they change as pain improves. This was the subject of Kevin's PHD research and included some fascinating examples of people's lived experience both with disabling back pain and then after the treatment, reflecting how how their movement and posture and fear levels had changed.
To find out more, check out these resources:
Ten Low Back Pain Facts – VIDEOs (most shared resource with patients)
Back to basics: 10 facts every person should know about back pain
From Protection to Non-Protection (Mixed Methods) Does Movement Change When Low Back Pain Changes? A Systematic Review The Relationship Between Changes in Movement and Changes in Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of Single-Case Designs Movement, posture and low back pain. How do they relate? A replicated single-case design in 12 people with persistent, disabling low back pain Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations Empowered Beyond Pain podcast Empowering you to manage pain