If you are worried about your back right now, or you have any of the symptoms listed below, stop reading and contact a doctor or your local emergency number. Nothing on this site is urgent care.
This is not medical advice
I am not a doctor, physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, or any other kind of medical professional. I have no clinical training and no medical qualifications. Everything on this site and in the program comes from my own experience of dealing with lower back pain for six years.
That means the material here is educational. It describes what I did and what I learned. It is not a diagnosis, not a treatment plan, and not advice tailored to your situation, because I do not know your situation and cannot assess it.
Why that distinction matters
Back pain is not one condition. It has many possible causes, some of which need proper medical treatment and some of which need urgent attention. A program written from one person's experience cannot tell the difference between them, and neither can you from reading about it online.
Only someone who can actually examine you is in a position to say what is going on with your back. Please treat this site as something you might discuss with them, not as a replacement for them.
Get medical help if you have any of these
These can be signs of something that needs assessing quickly. This list follows NHS guidance.
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in both legs
- Loss of feeling around your genitals or backside
- Trouble controlling your bladder or bowels
- Back pain after a serious fall or accident
- Severe pain that came on suddenly or is getting worse fast
- Back pain with a fever, or feeling generally unwell
- Unexplained weight loss alongside back pain
Please also see a doctor if the pain is stopping you doing everyday things, if it is not improving, or if you are simply worried about it. Those are all good enough reasons on their own.
Before you start the program
If you have a diagnosed back condition, are pregnant, are recovering from surgery or an injury, or are under the care of a health professional for anything related, please talk to them before starting this or any other program. Show them the material if it helps.
No guarantees about outcomes
I have described what happened to me. I have not promised anywhere that the same thing will happen to you, and if you find a sentence on this site that reads that way, I would genuinely like you to tell me so I can fix it.
Results vary between people for reasons nobody fully controls. Anyone who guarantees you a specific outcome for your back is either guessing or selling.
About the sources
Where I state something factual about back pain rather than something personal, it is cited on the references page and links to a recognised health authority. If a claim on this site has no source next to it, treat it as my personal experience rather than established fact.
Liability
You are responsible for decisions you make about your own health. By using this site or the program you accept that I cannot be held liable for outcomes arising from following general educational material. If something hurts, stop doing it and speak to a professional.
Questions about any of this are welcome at the contact page.