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Unlocking the Mystery of Back Pain: How Movement, Mindset, and Social Health Play a Role


back pain

Are you constantly dealing with lower back pain? Or does it show up occasionally—just enough to disrupt your life? Back pain is one of the most common health complaints, affecting up to 80% of people at some point in their lives. But here’s the catch: back pain isn’t just about a pulled muscle or poor posture. It's a multifactorial issue involving your body, mind, and social environment.


Let’s break it down.


What Causes Back Pain?

Whether you're dealing with chronic back pain, sciatica, or acute lower back pain from lifting something the wrong way, there are often three key contributors:

  • Body: How you move, your mobility and flexibility, your core stability, and injury history.

  • Mind: How you feel about pain, your past experiences, stress levels, beliefs about movement, and willingness to change.

  • Social: Your work environment, social connections, support system, and daily habits.

Not all back pain is created equal. Just because two people have lower back pain doesn’t mean it stems from the same root cause. Personalised back pain treatment is key.



The Biopsychosocial Approach to Relieving Back Pain

Let’s say someone injured their back while bending over. From this one event, a cascade of changes can occur:

  • They fear bending (Mind)

  • They compensate with new movement patterns (Body)

  • They avoid social outings due to fear of flare-ups (Social)


Now let’s dive into how to tackle each of these pillars.


Body: How Movement Patterns Affect Lower Back Pain

Contrary to popular belief, back pain isn’t always caused by a weak core. Many people with chronic back pain have an overactive or hyper-engaged core—a condition known as muscular guarding.


Your body remembers the pain and responds by tensing up to "protect" the area. While this might sound helpful, it often restricts movement, leading to stiffness and poor functional mechanics.


Try this: Flex your bicep as hard as you can and try to straighten your arm. Difficult, right? That’s what happens when muscles stay “switched on” to protect you. This creates:

  • Reduced mobility

  • Compensatory movement patterns

  • Muscle fatigue

  • Increased tension and discomfort in surrounding areas like hips or shoulders

  • Generalised body stiffness

  • Changes in breathing and nervous system sensitivity


Solution: The key to reducing back pain here is restoring natural movement, reducing unnecessary tension, and retraining motor control. Through exercise physiology we can tailor our exercise regime to your needs.



Mind: Your Thoughts Can Influence Your Pain

Your brain plays a huge role in pain perception. Past injuries, fear of re-injury, or even the belief that something will hurt can increase your sensitivity to pain—even when no tissue damage is happening.

Let’s use the hot stove example.

If you’ve ever touched a hot stove, you know to avoid it. But imagine someone tells you the stove is hot, even if it isn’t. Your brain may still trigger a pain response.

This is called pain sensitisation, and it’s common with chronic back pain. The body has healed, but your brain remembers the injury and sends “danger” signals—causing you to feel pain unnecessarily.

Solution: Through education, graded exposure, and pain science-informed rehab, we can help retrain the brain and reduce fear. You are not broken, and movement is medicine.


Social: The Hidden Influence on Recovery

Social withdrawal is common among those suffering from ongoing back issues. You may avoid events, skip outings, or feel embarrassed asking for help.


But social connection is critical for recovery. Supportive environments lower stress, increase motivation, and improve mood. On the flip side, isolation and a lack of support can amplify pain.

Ask yourself:

  • Are you skipping social events due to pain?

  • Do you feel unsupported at work or at home?

  • Are you hesitant to ask for help or modifications?


Solution: Work with a healthcare team like Move Right EP that values your whole person—not just your spine. Keep engaging with loved ones, even in modified ways. The language we use around pain and activity should empower, not restrict.



How to Finally Move Past Back Pain

There is no one-size-fits-all exercise for back pain. The best treatment for back pain is individualised, holistic, and sustainable.


At Move Right EP, we believe in:

  • Understanding the person behind the pain

  • Identifying movement limitations and mindset barriers

  • Building confidence through progressive exercise

  • Encouraging social support and connection


Our goal? To help you feel strong, resilient, and in control of your body again—without fear.



Final Thoughts: Your Back Pain is Real, But So is Recovery

If you’re tired of living with back pain, don’t just chase temporary fixes like heat packs, massage, or pills. True change happens when we address all sides of the equation—body, mind, and social wellbeing.


Ready to take back control of your life?


Book an assessment with Move Right EP today and start your journey toward a pain-free, empowered future.


Book through our website: www.moverightep.com


 
 
 

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