Lower Back Pain That Won't Go Away
Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek physiotherapy, and yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. Many people experience a few days of discomfort, assume it will settle on its own, and are then surprised when the pain lingers for weeks or months. As physiotherapists, we regularly see people who have been managing persistent back pain quietly, often without realising how much it has been affecting their work, sleep and daily life.
While the occasional ache after a long day or an unfamiliar workout is usually nothing to worry about, lower back pain that persists, recurs, or gradually worsens deserves proper attention. Understanding what might be driving it is the first step toward resolving it.
In our clinics, we find that ongoing lower back pain is rarely caused by a single dramatic injury. More often, it builds up gradually as a result of several overlapping factors.
Deconditioning and muscle weakness, sedentary lifestyles and desk-based work, physically demanding jobs and workplace injuries.
Interestingly, both a sedentary lifestyle and a physically demanding job can lead to the same outcome: a lower back that isn't conditioned to cope with the loads being placed on it.
Not all lower back pain stays in the lower back. Some people experience pain that travels down one or both legs, along with tingling, numbness, or a burning sensation. This is often referred to as sciatica or radicular pain, and it typically occurs when a nerve in the lower spine becomes irritated or compressed.
Other people experience referred pain, where the lower back is the site of symptoms but the underlying source lies elsewhere, such as the hip or sacroiliac joint. This is one of the reasons a proper assessment matters: pain location alone doesn't always tell the full story, and treating the wrong structure can mean treating the wrong problem.
While professional assessment is important for persistent pain, there is a lot you can do day to day to support your spine - set up your workstation thoughtfully, position your desk and screen correctly., avoid staying in one position for too long, build movement and strength into your week.
For most cases of persistent lower back pain, physiotherapy is an excellent first point of contact. A thorough assessment helps identify what is actually driving your symptoms, whether that's deconditioning, a workplace-related strain, a nerve-related issue, or something else, and whether further investigation or onward referral is needed.
Treatment is rarely just one thing. At Form Foundry, we typically combine: focused strength training, soft tissue release and massage, dry needling, kinesiotaping, movement retraining and ergonomic advice. The aim isn't simply to settle the pain in the moment, but to understand why it developed in the first place and address that underlying cause, so it's less likely to return.
At Form Foundry, we provide detailed physiotherapy assessments to understand the root cause of your back pain and build a clear, structured plan to resolve it, drawing on hands-on treatment, targeted strengthening and practical lifestyle advice tailored to you.
