Matrix Health & Performance

Do I need a scan?

In the majority of cases you don't need to get a scan.

The main reasons are:

1. It often doesn't change what needs to be done. You'll likely just need conservative therapies like osteopathy and corrective exercises. Very few people that come to see osteopaths or present to GPs go on to need more invasive things like surgery or present with "red flag" symptoms that warrant a scan.

2. A lot of what we see on images isn't well correlated with pain. Recent studies show that 50% of people in their 60s have disc bulges without any pain at all. Getting a scan can lead to unnecessary therapies or put too much weight into the findings rather than your function.

3. An experienced and skilled practitioner will be able to make the correct diagnosis in the vast majority of cases and the scans will only prove the hypothesis.

However as mentioned, if you've tried conservative therapies and had a good honest crack at things and you're still struggling then maybe it is time to get one.

If you want to talk through scan results or think you might need one, feel free to reach out. We can have a chat.

Nathan's Sore Back Continued:

Here we can see a really clear example of how a locked-up glute and hip is contributing to lower back pain.

In this case we can see that Nathan's left side is lacking internal rotation and the compensation leads to an over-reliance or an excessive amount of rotation taken up by the sacroiliac and lower lumbar joints, exactly where Nathan's pain is.

In this case we don't know if the hip is the chicken or the egg but it’s clearly a big contributor and there’s a large difference in movement that can be seen from the left to the right side.

If you were seeing a practitioner who doesn't treat holistically and was only treating the lower back, you'd be missing a huge part of the puzzle!

TLDR: Stiff hips can lead to back pain - make sure your treating practitioner doesn’t miss this if you’ve got a sore back!

Sore lower back right in this area?

Nick and Nathan discuss the structures that might be causing your pain.

Often it’s a combination of the joint, ligaments and muscles that attach in the area.