Are you a candidate for treatment?

• The Back Clinic treats both acute and chronic back conditions.
• If your symptoms have appeared recently we can use the best manual physiotherapy techniques to facilitate the healing process and restore normal function as soon as possible.
• If your symptoms are long-standing (more than 6 weeks) or recurrent you are likely to have developed weakness and instability in your spine and you may be a candidate for our specialised programme of intensive strengthening of the lumbar spine using the MedX® Lumbar Extensor Machine.
• We are able to treat anyone between the ages of 18 to 80.
• Treatment is as suitable for those with sedentary lives as it is for athletes - we have patients at both ends of the scale.
• This table shows the conditions that can be treated successfully using MedX®.

If you do not know what condition you have please do not hesitate to contact us.

As a general guide, we have described a few of the more common back conditions below:

Lumbar Strain
Excessive stretching or working of the lumbar muscles, resulting in pain and swelling of the muscle.

Herniated Disc
A condition that results in the abnormal protrusion (bulging), herniation or prolapse of a vertebral disc from its normal position in the vertebral column. The displaced disc may exert force on a nearby nerve root causing the typical neurological symptoms of radiating pain (to an extremity), numbness, tingling and weakness. Recurrent episodes of severe back pain are common.

Sciatica
A syndrome characterised by pain radiating from the back into the buttock and into the lower extremity along its posterior or lateral aspect and most commonly caused by prolapse of the intervertebral disk, the term is also used to refer to pain anywhere along the course of the sciatic nerve. There may also be numbness and or weakness in the leg.

Degenerative Disc (or Joint) Disease
This is quite a loosely used term for general wear and tear of the intervertebral disc. The intervertebral disc provides support and stability between vertebrae but over the years as a result of continuous movement, sitting and sport the disc can tear and also become dehydrated. This causes the disc to decrease in size and lose its elasticity which can cause spasm in the back muscles.

Stenosis
An abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or intervertebral foramina, which may result in nerve root compression.

Spondylolisthesis
The forward movement of one vertebral body upon another due to a defect in the bone or in the joints that normally bind them together. Any vertebra can be involved but the lumbar region is the area most commonly affected.

Osteoporosis
Loss of bone density, resulting in bones that are brittle and liable to fracture. Common in the elderly and in women following menopause. It may also be attributable to long term steroid use.

Osteoarthritis
Noninflammatory degenerative joint disease occurring chiefly in older persons. It causes the cartilage in the joints to wear down which in turn causes stiffness which can eventually lead to debilitating pain and limited function as the smooth cartilage that cushions joints starts to degenerate. When people talk about getting older and starting to get "arthritis" as a result of age, they are usually talking about osteoarthritis.

Hypermobility/instability
Increased range of movement of joints, joint laxity, occurring normally in young children or as a result of disease, e.g., Marfan's or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; hypermobility may result in degenerative joint disease later in life.

Scheuermann's Disease
This is an hereditary disease that mainly affects growing boys. It is the most common postural abnormality of the spine in the younger athlete. Children complain of acute pain in the upper back and in later years the upper spine (thoracic) may become more rounded (called kyphosis). Symptoms include fatigue and pain in the upper back.

Research has shown that the excellent and lasting results produced by the MedX® Lumbar Extension Programme are not particularly dependent on initial diagnosis. Whatever your symptoms, there is a good chance that we can help.

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