In Severe Back Pain? You’re in the Right Place

Free emergency course to ease your pain — starting now, from home.

You’ll learn:

✅ How to find a pain-relieving position - even if you can’t move much

✅ The biggest mistakes people make in the first 3 days - and how to avoid them

✅ When to use heat, ice or medication

✅ How to start moving safely - without making things worse

No credit cards. No fancy equipment. Just free, expert guidance from Chartered Physiotherapist Chris Spurling.

3 Simple Steps to Get Started

STEP 1. Check It's Safe to Start
Read the “When to Contact Your Doctor” section below. It helps you spot any warning signs that mean you should speak to your GP first.

STEP 2. Choose the Right Course
We’ll guide you to the version that best fits your symptoms — either Flexion-Dominant or Extension-Dominant back pain.

STEP 3. Get Expert Help — Free
Sign up to access your tailored recovery plan from Chartered Physiotherapist Chris Spurling. No payment. No equipment. Just clear, practical steps to help ease your pain.

Step 1: Check It’s Safe To Start

Please read the “When to Contact Your Doctor” section below. It helps you spot any warning signs that mean you should speak to your GP first.

When to Contact Your Doctor

Remember: Back pain is usually caused by joints, muscles, or posture, and will often improve with simple care.

However, see your doctor or seek urgent medical attention if you experience:

  • Severe back pain that’s getting worse over time

  • Fever, feeling unwell, or unexplained weight loss

  • Pain that began after major trauma (e.g. car accident or fall)

  • A history of cancer, injecting drugs, or long-term steroid use

  • Numbness or tingling around your genitals or anus

  • Trouble starting or controlling your bladder or bowels

  • Severe abdominal pain alongside back pain

  • Pain that worsens when lying down or regularly wakes you from sleep

If you're unsure whether it's safe to proceed, check with your GP before continuing.

Step 2: Choose the Right Course

Read both lists. Choose the one that matches you best right now.

✅ Option 1: Flexion-Dominant Pain

You may have experienced your flare-up:

🟦 After a long car journey, sitting at a desk, or watching TV

🟦 After gardening, lifting, or bending over repeatedly

You might notice:

🟦 Sitting makes your pain worse — especially on soft sofas or in the car

🟦 Bending forward (e.g. tying shoes, unloading the dishwasher) aggravates symptoms

🟦 Walking or standing upright feels better than sitting

🟦 Lying on your front (on your stomach) often eases the pain

🟦 You feel worse first thing in the morning

🟦 Arching backward sometimes shifts or reduces the pain

✅ Option 2: Extension-Dominant Pain

You may have experienced your flare-up:

🟥 After standing for long periods or walking a lot

🟥 After lying on your front or doing repeated backbends (e.g. in yoga)

You might notice:

🟥 Standing or walking increases your pain

🟥 Sitting — especially leaning forward — feels like relief

🟥 You wake up stiff or in pain and struggle to stand upright

🟥 Lying curled on your side or over a pillow helps ease symptoms

🟥 Lying flat on your back or front makes the pain worse

🟥 Curling forward or resting in a ball brings relief

Not Sure Which Course to Choose?

If you’re in severe pain and unsure which course fits, start with the one that matches the positions you naturally seek out for relief.
For example:

  • If lying flat or arching backwards helps your pain, try the Flexion-Dominant course.

  • If sitting, bending forward, or slumping tend to help, start with the Extension-Dominant course.

Don’t worry — you can always return to this page and switch if it doesn’t help.

Please note: This is a very rough way of categorising back pain.
It’s not a diagnosis — just a practical starting point to help you get moving safely.

In clinic, we use specific movement tests, hands-on assessment, and clinical reasoning to pinpoint the root cause of your pain and create a fully tailored plan.

But when you’re in a lot of pain and need help now, this approach is better than doing nothing — and often gets people moving in the right direction.

Step 3: Get Expert Help for Free

Sign up to access your tailored recovery plan from Chartered Physiotherapist Chris Spurling. No payment. No equipment. Just clear, practical steps to help ease your pain.

✅ Option 1: For Flexion-Dominant Pain

✅ Option 2: For Extension-Dominant Pain

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • Yes. This course is designed for people who are in too much pain to attend a clinic or exercise normally. It starts with simple positions of relief and gradually introduces safe movement.

  • You can start feeling relief in minutes. Most people spend 30 minutes reviewing the information to get an overview, 15–20 minutes using the techniques at first, then return to them as needed over the next few days.

  • As long as you don’t have any of the red flags listed above, yes. The advice here is designed for common patterns of acute back pain.

  • Not necessarily — but it can ease the worst of it and start your recovery. Some people need more help to stay better long-term, which is where an assessment with a physiotherapist comes in.

  • The course contains some information about what to do if you feel worse. But remember, it is not a substitute for 1:1 care. If something doesn’t feel right, stop, listen to your body and seek medical advice.

  • It’s best to stick with the one that matches your pain pattern. If you’re unsure, just pick the option that sounds most like you — you can always switch later.

Information for GPs & Healthcare Professionals

This free online course has been created by a Chartered Physiotherapist with a specialist interest in back care and rehabilitation. The course follows the NICE NG59 guideline for the assessment and management of low back pain and sciatica.

It supports patients in the first 72 hours of severe pain, guiding them through:
• Safe positions for symptom relief
• Simple movement strategies to reduce stiffness
• Red flag screening and medical safety advice
• Optional onward referral for individualised care

It is particularly helpful for patients in too much pain to attend a physiotherapy clinic immediately.

This is not a diagnostic tool — it is a practical self-care resource grounded in best evidence. It encourages safe self-management and appropriate physical activity, all consistent with NHS best practice.

Hi, I’m Chris — a Chartered Physiotherapist with over 30 years of experience treating acute and chronic low back pain.

Earlier in my career, I developed persistent back pain myself. That experience pushed me to go far beyond standard physio training — studying biomechanics, spinal rehabilitation, movement control, and pain science in depth. I eventually resolved my own pain and now use those insights every day to help patients in clinic.

This short course isn’t a full rehab programme. It’s a focused, first-aid approach — built to help you reduce pain and start moving safely in the first few days. It draws from the same principles I use in clinic, but simplified for people in too much pain to wait for an appointment.

Real People. Real Relief.

  • “Lower back was so very stuck, oh so stuck. From not being able to put my socks on or pick up the towel from the floor, to almost touching the floor from standing and no pain. Hurrah hurrah.”

    Sophie Rouget

  • “I was able to introduce squats and deadlifts into my training- something I had resigned to never being able to do again. Being able to move freely and without pain gives a huge boost to my quality of life.”

    Adam Lankester

  • “After years of near constant pain I still catch myself flinching every now and again expecting a huge jolt of nerve pain from my lower back, and being pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t occur.”

    Matt Johnstone

Prefer Personalised Help?

If you're not improving, or you want a tailored plan to get back to full function, you can book a 1:1 assessment in person at our Ipswich clinic.