The Back Pain Podcast

Dave and Rob are with physiotherapist Adam Dobson discussing scans and in particular how MRI scans can and are used in connection with back pain. Scans are important but only for a small number of patients with back pain and Adam explains in detail the pathway and context that may lead to a scan being done along with reasons why a detailed clinical diagnosis is so important in this episode packed...

Rob and Dave come together to share great advice on a question that they are frequently asked ‘is back pain stress-related?’ Currently, there are lots of reasons why people feel stressed and in this episode, Rob and Dave share a range of different things anyone can do to lower their levels of stress. If you are able to decrease your back pain you will be able to lower your stress and the first thi...

David Poulter is a physical therapist working out of Minnesota in the United States and shares great information about how dynamic our interbody joints, our discs, are effectively adapting to movement and load. He explains how discs are structured and work with the interbody joint getting its nutrition from loading and compression. With his extensive expertise and experience, David provides an in-...

In this episode, Rob and Dave talk to Laura Finucane and Sue Greenhalgh, consultant physiotherapists who are launching a video about when you should seek urgent help for your back pain. The majority of back pain is not serious but it’s important to know what to look for, the red flags so that anything more serious is not overlooked and this episode has detailed advice on how and what to do and is...

Rob and Dave discuss one of the questions they are asked the most ‘I’ve got back pain should I use ice or heat? There’s lots of conflicting information out there but the answer is it doesn’t matter, neither will cause you any harm it’s all about working out which one is best for you and will provide the relief you are looking for from your back pain. Rob and Dave explain how often you should apply...

Many people  (10% of the population) suffer from chronic widespread pain and in this episode, Rob and Dave share the best takeaways and nuggets of advice from previous interviews that they themselves use regularly. Where there is pain there is inflamed tissue that is reacting and changing and you should be looking to find what is the best healing process for you. This a great opportunity to hear t...

The Endurance Physio, Mike James joins Dave and Rob to look at how to avoid injury, train successfully for the events you want to take part in and share some myth-busting in this fascinating episode. Mike explains how anyone can train for and take part in endurance events if they understand how to be consistent and what their starting point is. He discusses the most common types of injuries and wh...

If you have regular back spasms what should you do? This is frequently asked in clinic and in this episode, Rob and Dave explain what you should do and why initiating small movements that can be adapted through increased load and repetition are the key to improve your range of movement. Pain or hurt doesn’t equal harm and it’s important to listen to your body and remember that the spine and body a...

When you experience pain during any activity you will question whether you should push through the pain or stop and in this episode, Rob and Dave share great advice on how to return to activities or exercise safely. People’s pain threshold is subjective and movement is an important part of the journey to recovery but it’s about starting back in the right way and understanding when you are experien...

How can you get a decent night’s sleep when you have back pain or sciatica? Dave and Rob provide some great tips and hacks to help anyone with back pain get through the night. Any pain, including back pain and sciatica, can seem much worse at night when there is nothing else to focus on but there are things you can do and the easily followed advice in this episode will help you to achieve better s...

Rob and Dave are with Prof. Stuart McGill a world-leading expert in spine and back pain. He takes a different approach to other clinicians and through assessment and identifications of patterns is able to test very specifically to identify the problem. People often think that back pain is something you have to live with but in this episode, Prof. McGill discusses why a detailed assessment and unde...

In this episode, Rob and Dave are with Tom White, Chiropractor and they are sharing the best hacks that can be used on a regular basis for back pain. These tips and tricks can be incorporated into your daily routine to help with the daily activities and routines that everyone has to complete. These life hacks for back pain will help you to manage the pain and are the recommendations that Rob, Dave...

In this short but sweet episode of The Back Pain Podcast, Rob and Dave debunk the myth of bed rest and explain why it's not the best form of recovery! ABOUT THE HOSTS Dave Elliot Dave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of b...

Rob and Dave are  inside the treatment room in this episode discussing the most frequently asked questions about back pain and sharing great answers and advice. ‘Does carrying extra weight result in back pain?’ Hear about causation and correlation and why it’s not true that additional weight causes back pain but there is correlation and the changes made to positively impact on weight will also imp...

In this episode, Rob and Dave are talking about back pain and strength with Dominic May, a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with sportspeople around the world and is currently best known as the Arsenal Academy’s strength and conditioning coach. Dominic explains exactly why it’s vital to have balance in the body and how strength underpins every movement, enabling the individual to eff...

Note: In the episode Daniel is introduced as 'Assistant Professor', this is incorrect. His official title is 'Associate Professor Dr Daniel Belavy'. We aplologise for this innacuracy.  Dave and Rob are with Associate professor Daniel Belavy, one of the authors of a new paper recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine which addresses the ultimate question ‘What exercise should I b...

Tom Jesson is a physio who has a particular interest in sciatica and in this episode, he explains exactly how your nervous system works and what sciatica is. He chats to Rob and Dave about perceptions and what you can do if you have recent onset sciatica along with the possible ways forward for those who experience chronic sciatica. Tom shares detailed but very accessible information about sciatic...

Sam Spinelli is a hugely experienced strength and conditioning therapist based in Canada and in this episode, Rob and Sam explore some of the commonly held myths about back pain and its causes as they discuss posture, position, flexion and stretching. Sam shares some great practical tips about movement and exercises that will have a positive impact along with detailed information about the researc...

We chat to Jack March, a Specialist Rheumatology Physio about his role in practice as an Advanced Level Physio at Nuffield health, alongside that he is also Project lead of The Physio Matters Podcast and has lectured extensively on Rheumatology, arthritis and Inflammatory Back Pain. In this episode, we chat about what Arthritis actually is and the ways in which exercise and lifestyle can help to o...

In this episode, Jack Barton, who works in construction and is also a CrossFit Coach shares his experience of surgery and recovery. After his back injury impacted on the movements he could make and he took the decision to have Microdiscectomy surgery to resolve the issue. He discusses the process leading up to the decision and the surgery along with what it was like in the 6 week initial recovery...

In this episode, Rob Crowley Chiropractor and CrossFit Competitor talks about the value of CrossFit as both a fitness methodology and a competitive sport. He shares what it means to an individual who trains in CrossFit in addition to their working week and how professional CrossFit elite athletes work towards their goals and how exposure to movement and load is the key to building resilience, stre...

In this episode Shane Lawlor one of Europe’s leading golf performance therapists discusses the range of issues he sees repeatedly in his specialist area, golf and the solutions that he is able to offer. With extensive expertise and experience in the treatment, screening and rehabilitation of golf injuries Shane has travelled the world with professional golfers and has worked with athletes at all l...

Derek Griffin specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist with expertise in chronic pain disorders is talking about chronic pain and how pain is understood on both an individual and societal level. There are many factors that influence an individual’s experience of pain and Derek explains the importance of listening to the patient and bringing understanding to the narrative. Everyone will seek to m...

In this episode, Brad Beer founding physiotherapist of Pogo Physio,  host of ‘The Physical Performance Podcast and best-selling author of ‘You Can Run Pain Free’ discusses what it takes to keep running and the types of injuries that runners often encounter. Moving and motion are important and the body adapts growing stronger so keeping in motion is key. Brad and Rob discuss the ways to achieve opt...

Discover today how your back pain when cycling can be eliminated with a simple bike fit. Today we are joined by Ricky Davis, chiropractor and bike fitter who explains the critical importance bike fitting can have on your comfort and performance on the bike whether you're a lifelong cyclist or just starting out. Ricky shares some key exercises for improving your strength in and out the saddle and w...