Back Pain Treatment in Haywards Heath
If you spend most of your day sitting at a computer, you’ve probably experienced that familiar feeling: you stand up, your lower back feels stiff, your hips feel tight and it takes a few steps before you feel normal again.
Many people assume they have “a bad back.”
In reality, the problem often starts somewhere else.
At The Health Hub in Haywards Heath, our Chiropractors and Osteopaths regularly see patients whose lower back pain is actually being driven by restricted hip mobility and poor movement patterns that have developed through prolonged sitting.
Sitting Changes How Your Body Moves
The human body is designed for movement.
Hours spent sitting shorten the muscles at the front of the hips, reduce hip mobility and encourage the pelvis to adopt a less efficient position.
When you eventually stand up, your body still needs to bend, twist and walk.
If the hips aren’t moving properly, something else has to.
More often than not, that “something else” is the lower back.
The Mobile/Stable Model
One of the concepts we use within the SFMA (Selective Functional Movement Assessment) is the Mobile/Stable model.
It suggests that different joints have different primary jobs.
- The foot should be stable.
- The ankle should be mobile.
- The knee should be stable.
- The hip should be mobile.
- The lower back should be stable.
When the hips lose mobility through prolonged sitting, the lower back often starts moving excessively to compensate.
This repeated compensation can lead to:
- Lower back pain
- Muscle spasm
- Morning stiffness
- Pain after driving
- Discomfort when standing from a chair
- Recurrent episodes of back pain
Rather than simply treating where it hurts, we look at why it hurts.
Why Tight Hips Can Cause Back Pain
Think of your hips as the body’s main movement engine.
Walking, squatting, bending and rotating should all involve good hip movement.
If the hips become stiff:
- The pelvis moves less efficiently.
- The lumbar spine twists and bends more than it should.
- The muscles around the back work harder to provide stability.
- Increased stress is placed on joints, discs and surrounding tissues.
Over weeks or months this can create persistent back pain that keeps returning.
How We Assess Back Pain
Our Chiropractors and Osteopaths don’t simply look at your painful area.
Instead, we assess how your whole body moves.
This includes looking at:
- Hip mobility
- Spinal movement
- Balance
- Squatting
- Rotation
- Single-leg stability
- Functional movement patterns
Using principles from the SFMA allows us to identify whether the pain is coming from the back itself or whether the back is simply compensating for restrictions elsewhere.
Treatment for Desk-Related Back Pain
Every patient is different, but treatment may include:
Chiropractic Care
Our Chiropractors use hands-on techniques designed to improve joint movement, reduce stiffness and restore normal function.
Combined with movement advice and rehabilitation exercises, this helps patients move with greater confidence and less pain.
Osteopathy
Our Osteopaths take a whole-body approach, using gentle manual therapy alongside advice on posture, movement and lifestyle factors that may be contributing to symptoms.
Rehabilitation
Treatment doesn’t stop when you leave the clinic.
We’ll often prescribe simple mobility exercises for the hips, strengthening work for the trunk and practical strategies to help you break up prolonged sitting throughout the working day.
When Should You Seek Help?
You should consider an assessment if you experience:
- Back pain after sitting
- Pain that improves as you move around
- Recurring episodes of stiffness
- Tight hips alongside lower back pain
- Pain when standing from a chair
- Back pain that’s affecting work, sport or sleep
The earlier movement problems are identified, the easier they are to address before they become persistent.
Back Pain Treatment in Haywards Heath
At The Health Hub, our experienced Chiropractors and Osteopaths help people from Haywards Heath, Lindfield, Cuckfield, Burgess Hill, Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint overcome back pain by identifying the root cause rather than simply chasing symptoms.
Whether you’re working from home, commuting every day or spending long hours at a desk, a thorough assessment and personalised treatment plan can help you move better and stay pain free.
Looking for a Chiropractor or Osteopath in Haywards Heath?
If your back hurts after sitting all day, it may not be your back that’s causing the problem.
Book an assessment with one of our experienced team and discover how improving hip mobility and restoring efficient movement could be the key to lasting relief.