The right treatment for back pain depends entirely on what’s causing it, how long it’s been going on, and how it’s affecting you. Here’s an honest overview of the options, roughly in the order they’re usually tried.
For the large majority of back pain, staying active and working with a physiotherapist is the most effective first step — often more effective than rest. A physio can identify what’s aggravating your pain, build a tailored exercise programme, and address any underlying movement patterns contributing to the problem.
Over-the-counter pain relief and anti-inflammatories can help manage symptoms while your body heals, particularly in the early weeks. They treat the pain rather than the underlying cause, so they’re usually used alongside movement and physio rather than as a standalone fix.
For pain linked to a specific nerve or joint — sciatica, for example — a targeted injection (such as an epidural steroid injection) can reduce inflammation around the affected nerve and provide meaningful relief, sometimes for months at a time. These are usually considered when conservative measures haven’t been enough.
Surgery is generally a last resort, reserved for cases where there’s a clear structural problem (like significant disc herniation or spinal stenosis) causing ongoing symptoms that haven’t responded to other treatment — or where there are red-flag symptoms requiring urgent intervention. It’s a much smaller proportion of back pain cases than people often assume.
Your free assessment is carried out personally by Dr Anzal Qurbain, GMC-registered. He’ll review your case honestly — which may mean self-care advice, a referral to your GP, or, where surgery may genuinely be appropriate, a direct referral to a specialist Harley Street spine surgeon. We won’t recommend surgery where it isn’t the right answer, and we’ll always explain our reasoning.
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