Low Back Pain

Patient Experience

  • Reference Number: HEY1136/2025
  • Departments: Emergency Department, Physiotherapy
  • Last Updated: 30 June 2025
You can translate this leaflet by selecting a language from the dropdown menu:

Introduction

This leaflet has been produced to give you general information about your injury. Most of your questions should be answered by this leaflet. It is not intended to replace the discussion between you and your doctor but may act as a starting point for discussion. If, after reading it, you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team caring for you.

Back pain

The lower back is made up of many different parts working together. Because of this, even a mild strain or irritation can cause significant pain and discomfort.

However, it’s important to remember that the spine is one of the strongest parts of the body, and with time, most back pain will improve.

There are many things that can affect how much pain you feel and how long it lasts. Often, it’s a mix of factors, such as:

  • Physical factors – like avoiding movement and trying to ‘protect’ your back
  • Emotional or psychological factors – such as fear of causing more damage, worrying you won’t get better, feeling low or stressed
  • General health and lifestyle – for example, feeling tired, being run down, carrying extra weight, or not being physically active
  • Social factors – such as difficulties at home or work, low job satisfaction, or major life events like bereavement or illness

All of these can influence your experience of pain. Understanding what may be affecting your pain puts you in a better position to manage it and take steps towards recovery.

How is it diagnosed?

 Do I need an X-ray or scan?

In most cases, you don’t need an X-ray or scan to find out what’s causing your back pain. These tests often show normal age-related changes in the spine, which are common and not usually the source of pain.

Very rarely, back pain can be a sign of a more serious condition that needs urgent medical attention. You may need an emergency scan if you experience any of the following:

  • Feeling generally unwell along with your back pain, such as having a fever or sweating heavily, especially at night
  • Loss of control over your bladder or bowels (e.g. leaking, being unable to pass urine, or not feeling when your bladder or bowel is full)
  • Changes in sexual function, such as loss of sensation during intercourse
  • Numbness or tingling in the genital or buttock area
  • Sudden weakness or loss of strength in your legs

If you do develop any of the symptoms listed above then we recommend you return to the Emergency Department immediately for further assessment.

Is surgery an option

Only a very small number of people with lower back pain will ever need surgery.

In some uncommon cases, like those mentioned above, back problems can put pressure on the nerves that go to the legs, causing symptoms like pain, pins and needles or numbness in the legs. Surgery can help relieve these symptoms, but it is not always necessary because they often improve on their own.

What pain relief medication can I take?

You should not hesitate to use pain relief medication if you need to ease the pain. If you are unsure what medication is best for you, we advise that you speak with a pharmacist.

Although pain medication can help reduce the discomfort you experience, it does not necessarily speed up your recovery. It is advised that medication be used alongside other measures – such as exercise – and only in the short term, as it can have side effects.

Exercise and rest

In the first few days of a new episode of back pain, avoiding activities that make the pain worse can help. However, resting for too long and staying inactive can actually increase pain, make it harder to recover, and keep you off work for longer.

To help you get better, try to stay as active as you can and gradually return to your normal daily activities – including work if possible. Exercise is proven to help ease back pain and is the best way to prevent it from coming back. Moving regularly will also make your back stronger.

There isn’t one type of exercise that works best for everyone, so pick something you enjoy. Start slowly and increase how much and how hard you exercise bit by bit. It’s normal for your back to feel a little sore during or after exercise at first, but this should improve over time.

Sleep

The importance of sleep in tackling back pain has become increasingly clear in recent years.  Sleep reduces stress and improves your overall feeling of wellbeing; making you less susceptible to the triggers of pain and helping you cope if it does occur.

Aim for a regular routine, as far as possible. There is no recommended position for sleep or particular type of mattress – do whatever feels most comfortable for you.

Bending and lifting

It is a common misunderstanding that bending and lifting are often the cause of back pain and while an injury can occur if something is picked up in an awkward manner, it is most likely to be just a sprain or a strain.

The most important thing is to practice and get your body used to carrying different loads and weights in a way you find comfortable and efficient.

Here are some tips to help prevent injury. Always consider:

  • The task you are doing
  • Your own ability and what you can manage
  • The load or weight involved
  • The environment you’re working in (for example, space, lighting, and surface)

When lifting an object by hand

  • Consider how you can minimise carrying distances
  • Assess the weight to be carried and whether you can move the load safely or if you need help – maybe the load can be broken down to smaller, lighter components

When to seek further help?

If your back pain does not settle after 6 to 8 weeks and you have not already done so you should refer yourself to a physiotherapist.

Physiotherapists provide expert advice guidance and treatment for back pain. This is to help reduce your chances of future episodes, while improving your overall health and wellbeing.

Your feedback matters to us…

To ensure we deliver a safe and quality service and to help us understand the experience you have of the care you receive from our staff we would value your thoughts about the service you received.

You may be contacted as part of our quality assurance programme which is where we visit our teams and staff and talk to them about the care they provide to our patients or at any time during or after you have needed our services.

To collect this feedback, we would contact you using the registered telephone number we hold in your care record. This feedback will be strictly anonymous and whilst we will share the feedback as part of the process, we will not share any details which may identify you.

We will never ask you any personal questions about your health during these telephone calls.

If you do not wish to speak to us, please say this when we call, we do not want you to feel pressured.

This leaflet was produced by the Physiotherapy Department Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and will be reviewed in June 2028.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

  • you must be able to give your consent
  • you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
  • you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.

QR code to open leaflet