Chronic Pain Archives - Illawarra Medical Centre

Spine health and back pain

walrus — Tue, 26 May 2026 04:10:04 +0000

Many of us would have experienced a niggle or some form of back pain at some stage in our lives, but when it doesn’t go away or get any better, it can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life.

Back pain is one of the main reasons people visit their GP or miss work. In Australia, back problems are the third highest cause of disease burden, with chronic back pain affecting one in six Australians.

As part of Spinal Health Week, this month’s blog takes a closer look at the causes, treatment, and management of back pain.

What is back pain?

Back pain refers to pain that affects your spine or the surrounding muscles, nerves, and tissues, including from your neck all the way down to your buttocks.

Your spine is a complex structure made up of 24 vertebrae, disks, joints, ligaments, and muscles. It is key to supporting your body and holding it upright, protecting your spinal cord, and allowing your body to sit, stand, walk, twist, and bend.

The spine is divided into five different areas:

Cervical — includes your neck region, from where your skull is attached to your spine, down to your shoulders.
Thoracic — the region where your ribs attach to your spine.
Lumbar — lower back.
Sacrum — the 5 vertebrae that fuse to form a triangular bone that is attached to your pelvic bones.
Coccyx (tailbone) — the 4 joined (fused) vertebrae at the base of your spine, where your pelvic floor ligaments and muscles attach.

While back pain can affect any of these areas, most back pain occurs in the lower back. Back pain can either be acute, lasting for a short time only, or chronic and lasting more than three months.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, around 4 million (16%) Australian’s were estimated to be living with back problems in 2022, with $3.4 billion spent on the treatment and management of back problems, representing 2.2% of the total health system expenditure.

Back problems also contributed to 1,112 deaths and were the third leading cause of overall disease burden in Australia in 2023.

Common Causes of Back Pain

Some of the more common conditions that affect spine health and that can cause back pain include:

Arthritis and arthritic conditions, like ankylosing spondylitis
Back strains and sprains
Birth defects, such as spina bifida.
Bone spurs
Curvatures of the spine (scoliosis and kyphosis)
Herniated disc
Neuromuscular diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Nerve injuries, like spinal stenosis, sciatica and pinched nerves
Osteoporosis
Spinal cord injuries, including spinal fractures and paralysis
Spine tumors and cancer
Spine infections, like meningitis and osteomyelitis

Some people may also experience back pain that has no specific cause. There are a number of factors that can make this non-specific back pain worse, including:

Soft tissue injuries
Stress
Smoking
Lack of exercise
Overweight or obesity
Sudden increase in load on the spine — for example, lifting heavy objects or children, when you’re not used to it
Mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression

The good news is that most cases of back pain are benign and not caused by a serious medical problem. However, if you experience any of the following symptoms along with back pain, see your GP right away or go to your local hospital’s emergency department for urgent medical assistance:

New incontinence (bladder or bowel) or numbness around the genitals or back passage.
Leg weakness, especially on both sides, or difficulty walking.
Numbness or pins and needles affecting both legs.
Severe pain that does not improve with rest or is worse at night.
Unexplained weight loss, fever, or chills.
History of cancer (previous or current).
History of significant trauma (fall, car accident).
Use of steroids or immunosuppressants.
Over age 70 with new-onset back pain.

Prevention

The best way to help prevent back pain is by keeping your back and core muscles strong through strengthening exercises, such as planks, and building flexibility through stretching exercises, at least twice a week.

Regular low-impact aerobic activities, such as walking and swimming, can also help to increase your strength and endurance.

Other protective measures include:

Bending your knees and keeping your back straight when lifting items.
Maintaining a healthy weight.
Using good posture (sitting up straight, not slouching).
Not smoking.
Managing stress levels.

When to See a GP

Back problems are among the most commonly managed conditions in general practice.

While most acute cases of back pain will eventually pass on their own, without the need for specific treatment, you should see your GP if you experience pain that:

Has lasted more than two weeks with no improvement.
Keeps returning after brief periods of improvement.
Limits your work, sleep, or daily activities.
Is accompanied by numbness or tingling in one leg.
You are managing with over-the-counter medication for more than a few days.

Your GP will take a thorough history and examine your back, legs, and nerve function.

If you have had back pain for a while, or have other medical problems, they may refer you for tests, including blood or imaging tests, to help identify the cause of your back pain. They may also prescribe medication, recommend a treatment plan, or refer you to a specialist for further treatment.

If you are experiencing any back pain, book in with one of our GPs to discuss your concerns. Appointments can be made online or by contacting us directly on (08) 9208 6400.

For more information on this topic, visit:

Australian Department of Health, painHEALTH – Home – painHEALTH
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Cleveland Clinic – Spine: Anatomy, Function, Parts, Segments & Disorders
Health Direct – Back pain — an overview | healthdirect
Healthy WA – Low back pain
Harvard Health – Managing chronic back pain – Harvard Health
Mayo Clinic – Back pain – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

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Chronic pain impacts and management

walrus — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 05:35:34 +0000

Everyone experiences physical pain at some stage in their life, but for 3.7 million Australians, pain is a complex and ongoing problem. Known as an invisible illness, many people with chronic pain may not necessarily look unwell; however, the experience of constant pain for three months or more can significantly impact on a person’s mental health, as well as their ability to work, move, sleep, and enjoy social or family activities.

In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at chronic pain and how it can be managed.

Prevalence in Australia

Chronic pain affects around 3.7 million Australians, comprised of around 54% women and 46% men. As noted by Pain Australia, around two thirds of Australians living with chronic pain are urban based and 68% are of working age.

The financial cost of chronic pain in Australia is estimated to be ~$144 billion and includes costs to the health system, productivity losses, and the reduction in the quality of life for those experiencing chronic pain.

Chronic pain not only affects people physically but also impacts significantly on their mental health. Around 45% of those living with chronic pain also experience anxiety or depression and suicide is reportedly two to three times higher in those suffering chronic pain compared to the general population.

These figures are only set to increase, with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s most recent report estimating the annual cost of chronic pain in Australia will rise to ~$215 billion by 2050.

What is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is any persistent pain that lasts for three months or more, or beyond the normal healing time of an injury.

It is a complex issue, as everyone experiences pain differently. Chronic pain can:

Be a symptom of another disease or a stand-along condition
Show no evidence of its existence
Occur anywhere in the body and at multiple sites
Involve several forms of pain or just one
Be daily or recurrent, such as a migraine

What we do know, is that all pain is related to the brain.

When you have an injury, nerves send signals from your injured body part to the brain’s thalamus to tell it there’s a problem. The thalamus then sorts through the signal and relays it onto the different parts of the brain responsible for physical sensation (the somatosensory cortex), thinking (the frontal cortex), and emotions (the limbic system).

That’s why whenever you experience pain, you tend to physically feel it, wonder what it was or what caused it, and are likely to have an emotional reaction to it (i.e. feel irritated or cry).

This whole process is an essential part of evolution that helps protects our bodies from danger and harm.

For those with chronic pain, however, the nerves carrying pain signals to the brain or the brain itself, are not behaving in the normal way and can signal that there is pain, even when your tissues are not in any danger.

This video from Pain Australia provides a good overview of chronic pain>>

Are There Different Types of Chronic Pain?

As noted by Chronic Pain Australia, there are many different chronic pain conditions that people can experience; however, most of these can be categorised into three types:

Nociceptive – which is pain associated with tissue injuries or damage, including from a cut, broken bone or such things as osteoarthritis, pelvic pain and rheumatoid arthritis.
Neuropathic – which is pain associated with injury or disease of the nerve tissue. This type of pain is commonly associated with shingles, sciatica, pinched nerves, and nerve damage resulting from diabetes.
Nociplastic – which is pain that results from alterations or changes to the way the sensory nervous system processes noxious stimuli, even if there is no evidence of tissue damage or disease causing the pain. For example fibromyalgia and non-specific lower back pain.

Treatment Options

As there are several types of chronic pain and everyone’s pain experience is different, treatment will generally involve a whole person approach that considers physical, social and psychological factors.

Most pain management strategies will use a combination of:

Medication
Physical therapies (such as heat or cold packs, massage, hydrotherapy and exercise)
Psychological therapies (such as cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation techniques and meditation)
Acupuncture
Community support – through community and/or online groups

Generally those who actively manage their pain on a daily basis will tend to experience better results than those who rely purely on passive therapies, such as medication or surgery.

The most important step in managing any chronic pain condition, however, is to see your GP.

They will be able to work with you to develop a management plan based on your individual needs and circumstances and can recommend other health professionals to see as part of managing your chronic pain.

Appointments at IMC can be made by contacting us on (08) 9208 6400 or booking online.

Where can I find out more information?

For more information, visit:

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management – https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/the-national-strategic-action-plan-for-pain-management
Better Health Victoria – https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/pain-and-pain-management-adults
Chronic Pain Australia – https://chronicpainaustralia.org.au
Health Direct – https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/chronic-pain
Pain Australia – https://www.painaustralia.org.au

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