RAPID | Back Pain Physio

One of Dublins Best Physiotherapy Clinics with over 300 Five Star Reviews.

Book in with us today to find out why your back is sore and how you can fix it!

Sinead Dunne

"I would highly recommend RAPID. I visited Mike as I started to suffer with back pain and he came highly recommended by many of my friends and family. Mike assessed my injury, quickly identified the cause and made a custom plan to fix my pain. Mike provided me with a realistic plan that was easy for me to fit into my routine. After just two sessions with Mike I saw vast improvements, my strength improved significantly and my pain was pretty much gone! Mike is friendly, professional and an absolute expert at what he does. Thank you so much - I’m delighted to be pain free!"

Darragh O'Doherty

"Had constant back issues that I needed to get sorted so I went to RAPID. Mike is an excellent physio who had me diagnosed quickly and started me on a rehab program which worked a treat. He really knows his stuff and my back issues are much better now. Would highly recommend RAPID."

Ailbhe Gilvarry

"I have struggled with back pain and flare ups for at least 8 years and thought I was just stuck with it. I started attending RAPID in July. Mike did full assessment and identified immediately the weaknesses and areas I needed to work on and built a specific program for me to follow, complete with videos so I am reminded how to do them correctly. I have NO back pain and am feeling a lot stronger, running longer and faster and happy out! Would recommend RAPID 100%."

Saidhbh Duggan

"I cannot recommend RAPID enough. My gym trainer recommended that I book in with Mike as I was struggling with certain exercises due to back pain. Having suffered with back issues and pain for over 8 years, I have been to many physiotherapists and different clinics and I have never felt better in my life. Mike is incredibly thorough and explains exactly what is wrong and how it can be fixed. Mike ensures that your programme suits your routine as much as possible, which really helps to keep the progress and consistency going. After a couple of sessions with Mike I felt so much stronger and my pain had significantly decreased. His approach was different to all the physios I have been to before and the results speak for themselves. I have many friends and family members that have also been to RAPID and like myself, would all highly recommend the service. I am so glad that I started going to RAPID and look forward to being able to go to the gym pain-free!"

Brian Flanagan

"RAPID was recommended to me by another Physio in regards to a recurring lower back issue. Working with Mike has been great, he clearly identified the areas I need to work on setting clear programmes and with regular check-ins to help progress. I immediately felt the benefits and really liked that Mike took videos of the exercises while talking me through them. Would highly recommend RAPID!"

Sonya Beatty

"Mike is an excellent physio. He is so helpful and thorough. I injured my back lifting weights in the gym and Mike had me back training in no time. I would highly recommend RAPID to anyone in need of a physio, Mike is brilliant at what he does."

Jamie Molony

"I suffered with hamstring and back pain for many years and attended many physios without resolution. I was recommended to go to RAPID by my S&C team coach. Mike got to the root of the problem very quickly and the rehab program wasn't overwhelming. My body feels so much more robust and I can train consistently with my team now. I highly recommend RAPID. Mike is a top guy too!"

Eddie Bohan

"I recently needed to get some physiotherapy due to a lower back problem and a friend of mine recommended RAPID so I made an appointment and this has proved to be a really great decision as not alone was the problem sorted but I now have a long term plan to avoid any future issues. Would highly recommend RAPID."

Orla Keogh

"I went to RAPID after hurting my lower back in the gym. I was in a lot of pain and found it difficult to move. After just one session, where Mike had me work through a series of exercises, I felt so much better. I followed the program he gave me and during that week I improved day by day. More exercises and an expanded program at my second session, which I’m now working through, I’m almost completely back to normal, plus I’m strengthening my core and posture to avoid future injuries. I can highly recommend RAPID."

Maria Molony

"I was suffering from lower back pain and RAPID was recommended to me. I had never been to a physio before so I was apprehensive at first. But with Mike's superb care and personal service with high level of professionalism, I immediately felt at ease. He explained everything thoroughly and provided me with a personalised program which fits into my routine. Couldn't recommend RAPID enough, 10/10."

Back Pain

Back Pain is one of the most common injuries in the world affecting millions of people. At RAPID we see and help people every single day who are struggling with back pain. Despite how common back pain is, how much research has been completed investigating it and how much money has been spent trying to fix it, back pain remains an incredibly confusing area of medicine.

The number one thing we tell all of our patients who present with back pain is not to panic! With a proper assessment and a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, the vast majority of our patients make a complete recovery, even if they have failed with multiple professionals and treatment options in the past.

Historically back pain has been managed very poorly - patients often come to RAPID fearful of moving, feeling that their back is very vulnerable, thinking that their discs and spine are worn away and that the changes are irreversible. The vast majority (99%) of back pain does not involve serious structural damage or pathology - despite what your MRI might have told you. In fact, the changes which we see on MRI - disc degeneration, loss of disc height, disc herniation, disc bulge, protrusions, arthritis etc - are extremely common on the MRIs of people with no back pain!

You are not your scan!

The British Journal of Sports Medicine published an article in 2019 titled 'Back to basics: 10 Facts every person should know about back pain.' Here are the 10 Facts which will hopefully help relieve any fear and anxiety which you may have.

Persistent back pain can be scary, but it's rarely dangerous.
Getting older is not a cause of back pain.
Persistent back pain is rarely associated with serious tissue damage.
Scans rarely show the cause of back pain.
Pain with exercises and movement doesn't mean that you are doing harm.
Back pain is not caused by poor posture.
Back pain is not caused by a 'weak core'.
Backs do not wear out with everyday loading and bending.
Pain flare-ups don't mean that you are damaging yourself.
Injections, surgery and strong drugs usually aren't a cure.

Symptoms of Back Pain

The most common symptom of back pain which we see at RAPID is, well, back pain! This pain can be slight, or it can be severe. It may have started this morning, or it may have been there for 20 years. It might be on one side, or on both sides of your back. It may be worse when you're active, or it might be worse when you sit down or stand still. It might be solely in your back or it might travel down your legs.

Back pain is an incredibly broad area and no two patient's will have the exact same symptoms and presentation. That's why it is so important to get assessed in person by one of our Chartered Physiotherapists to see what the exact cause of your back pain may be and what the best solution is. If you have had previous scans please bring your reports along with you and we will correlate what the report says with your symptoms and with our assessment.

Here are some of the most common movements / actions which trigger back pain symptoms in our patients at RAPID, this is not an exhaustive list and almost every patient we see has a different limitation or trigger.

Pain bending over - putting on shoes or socks, picking things up from the floor.
Pain standing still for long periods - waiting in line, giving a presentation, cooking.
Pain sitting down for a long time - driving long distances, sitting as the desk, taking a long flight.
Pain twisting and turning - reaching behind you, getting in and out of the car, playing sport.
Pain toward the end of the day or the end of an activity such as a long walk or gym session.
Pain the night or the next morning after an activity - gym, sport, walking, DIY work which felt fine at the time.
Pain doing fast motions - swinging a golf club, jumping, running.

The pain may be all in the back or it may be in the legs also, it may be sharp or dull and it might be on one side or on both. At RAPID we strive to find the Root Cause of your back pain and not just treat the symptoms.

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How to Treat Back Pain?

The first step to treating your Sciatica is to get it assessed by one of our expert Chartered Physiotherapists. At RAPID the treatment and rehabilitation for your back pain will be totally dependent on the Root Cause of your back pain and not a 'one size fits all' approach that we take with every patient we see.

At RAPID we complete an extremely thorough assessment in order to get the most definite diagnosis possible and in order to provide you with the most complete plan to full recovery. We will combine the results of your various scans and tests with your current symptoms and with our expert assessment in order to find out exactly what is causing your back pain and what might help to fix it. Your individual treatment plan will be dependent on your exact injury and the results of our assessment.

Most Back Pain Treatment will involve a progressive rehabilitation program with expert exercises to help you to fix your pain and improve your everyday function.