An Interview About Low Back Pain With Alex Chia, Physiotherapist
Alex was kind enough to chat to me about these topics:
1 - What is back pain? What is the prognosis for back pain?
2 - Is "hands on" treatment (aka "manual therapy") necessary?
3 - Which factors can drive the development of a chronic pain problem?
4 - What is counterintuitive about back pain?
5 - What should you look for in a Physiotherapist?
Alex referred to a study in the journal Radiology. Here’s the link.
Here’s another relevant article, too (from Alex).
He spoke about “Cognitive Functional Therapy”. Find out more here.
We touched on the fact that manual therapy is not necessarily the bees knees.
I (Tim) think that this is a good article which outlines some of the problems in viewing the body as something which “slips out of joint” and needs to be put back in place.
It relates to the sacroiliac joint (which is the junction of the spine and pelvis) but the principles are constant in the spine - in my opinion. That is, at minimum, the “hands on” assessment techniques used in making these (dubious) diagnoses are very unreliable.
A bit about Alex from his bio at the Flex Physio website:
Alex is one of our senior physiotherapists and has worked in private practice for over 18 years. He earned his Clinical Masters in Sports Physiotherapy from Curtin University in 2015. He has worked extensively in sport including travelling overseas with the Australian Women's Volleyball Team, interstate with WA Softball and working with the Melbourne City Football Club. He currently is consulted frequently by WA musicians having worked with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) over the last 8 years, bringing to this role his experience playing piano and violin over many years. Alex has a strong grounding in injury prevention and rehabilitation, having completed the Level 1 Strength and Conditioning (ASCA). He has been part of the Flex Physio team for several years, and has great expertise with shoulder, elbow and hand problems. Away from the clinic Alex enjoys time with his family, playing tennis and music, and looking after his chooks!