Thornbury Hospital
312 Fulwood Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 3BR DirectionsPhone
Opening hours
Mon-Sun: 7am-10pm. Visiting times are between 2pm and 8pm.
Car parking
Yes - 138 spaces
2 electric vehicle charging stationsFast access to treatment for back pain in Sheffield
There are many causes of back pain, including injury, medical conditions and age-related degeneration. Treatment varies depending on the cause and symptoms. You can do simple at-home treatments to treat back pain or see a doctor for more severe cases when at-home remedies are not enough.
This page will look at the symptoms, causes and treatments of back pain. We’ll also explore your private treatment options for back pain at Circle Health Group’s Thornbury Hospital in Sheffield.
Your back is a complex structure made up of multiple components that all work together to support your body. Your spine is one of the strongest parts of your body. It plays a critical role in protecting your spinal cord and supporting your head, shoulders and upper body.
The structural elements of your spine and back include:
Back pain can result from a problem with any of these structures.
Your spine is made up of five sections:
Back pain can feel like:
Back pain can come on suddenly after a specific movement, injury or fall, or it could come on gradually with no apparent cause.
Pain is classified by its duration. Back pain that lasts less than six weeks is called ‘acute pain’, and pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks is called ‘chronic pain’. Chronic pain can also come and go in multiple episodes.
Lower back pain can radiate into other parts of the body, including the buttocks, thighs and legs. Most lower back pain is acute, but about 20% of people with acute pain go on to have chronic back pain.
Although the lower back has just five vertebrae (called the L1-L5), they are the largest vertebrae. These vertebrae connect your spine to your pelvis. They support the weight of your upper body and are susceptible to wear and tear, overuse and injury.
Most lumbago is mechanical, which means there is a problem with the structures of the lower back and how they fit together and move.
There are many reasons you might experience back pain. Back pain can also be aggravated by your lifestyle, including poor posture, sitting down for too long, driving long distances and incorrect lifting.
Like the rest of our bodies, our spines age and are susceptible to degenerative changes and stiffness.
Anyone can get back pain, but some factors put you at higher risk.
Back pain can result from a mechanical or structural problem with any one of the structures that make up your back, including your vertebral discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments or tendons.
It’s not always possible to identify the cause of back pain.
If you’ve had a clinical investigation, but there is no identifiable physical cause for your pain, it is called non-specific back pain. Non-specific back pain is very common and may result from psychological stress.
Other medical conditions can cause back pain.
There are several reasons why women experience lower back pain more frequently than men.
Most of the time, back pain gets better after a few days or weeks. However, if your pain cannot wait, it can be helpful to see a doctor to discuss your symptoms and treatment options. You should also see a doctor if your pain:
If you experience any of the following symptoms in addition to back pain, you should seek immediate medical advice as it might be a sign of a more serious problem.
Call 111 or see your GP if your back pain is accompanied by:
Many cases of back pain can be effectively treated at home. Bed rest is not recommended for back pain because the muscles around the spine should remain active and able to support your bones and joints.
If your pain does not improve with treatments at home, your doctor might recommend additional medical treatments. These may include:
Back surgery is only recommended when there is a clear medical cause of the pain and non-surgical treatments, including physiotherapy and spinal injections, have not helped. Common reasons for back surgery include back injuries, spinal stenosis or herniated discs.
Surgery cannot correct every type of back pain, so it’s not always an option, even if all other treatments have been tried and failed.
All surgical procedures come with some risks, so you should discuss the benefits and risks of any surgical procedure with your surgeon before deciding to proceed with the recommended operation.
Many forms of exercise can help keep the back strong and healthy. Swimming, yoga, pilates, tai chi, walking and going to the gym are all beneficial for people with back pain. Try to find the type of exercise that you enjoy doing so that you can make it a part of your regular routine.
If you are looking for a way to ease your back pain quickly, Thornbury Hospital can help. We ensure fast access to our services, usually within 48 hours.
In your initial consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon, your consultant will work with a multidisciplinary team to diagnose your condition and come up with a personalised treatment plan for your back pain.
Getting tailored exercises and physical therapy from a specialist in back pain is one of the most effective treatments for acute and chronic back pain.
At Circle Health Group, our physiotherapy services are a proven way of dealing with back pain from sports injuries, arthritis, muscle injuries and post-surgery rehabilitation.
Our fully equipped gym offers a range of exercise equipment that your physiotherapist will use to create a personalised programme designed to increase your mobility, improve strength, build core stability and relieve your symptoms.
At Thornbury Hospital, we offer the following highly specialised private physiotherapy treatments:
All our physiotherapists are registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, per recommendation by the NHS.
When your pain is severe, your consultant might recommend steroid injection therapy. In this therapy, corticosteroid medication is injected into a space near your spinal cord to provide temporary relief from pain and inflammation.
This is particularly helpful in breaking the cycle of pain, allowing you to get more effective relief from your physiotherapy treatment.
Learn more about steroid injection therapy at Thornbury Hospital here.
An orthopaedic surgeon will perform a thorough examination to determine if a mechanical problem is causing your pain. This includes a physical examination and diagnostic imaging tests including X-rays, CT scans or MRIs.
If you have a medical condition such as spinal stenosis, slipped discs and spondylolisthesis and other treatments have not been successful, then your orthopaedic surgeon might suggest back surgery.
Thornbury Hospital offers the following surgical treatments:
Learn more about spinal surgery at Thornbury Hospital here.
Most of the time, back pain is not a sign of a serious condition, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with the pain. If you have back pain that is severe or affecting your quality of life, there are options to help.
The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you can get back to living your life.
At Thornbury Hospital, our multidisciplinary team of orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, radiologists and back pain specialists are all dedicated to helping you find relief from back pain.
We will work with you to develop a personalised treatment programme designed around your specific needs. In our latest patient satisfaction scores, we received top marks with:
We offer a range of treatments for back pain including physiotherapy, spinal injections and spinal surgery. Your consultant will help you find the right treatment plan for you. Many of our back pain treatments are available in fixed price packages which include your initial consultation, treatment and aftercare.
Thornbury Hospital can be found at 312 Fulwood Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 3BR. It is accessible by the M1 and can be easily reached by public transport.
Book an appointment online today or call us at 0114 386 3547.