Boning up on treatments for bad backs

In fact, four out of every five adults will experience back pain at some stage in their life, with the problem costing the NHS more than 1 billion every year, and nearly five million working days being lost in 2003-4. But there are plenty of treatments for those in back agony, from the well-known physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic sessions to some more unusual therapies. Here, two patients try out some new remedies on offer in the Capital

Father of two Andrew Mack, 50, a taxi driver from Clermiston, tried Technology Assisted Micro-Mobilisation and Reflex Stimulation (TAMARS)at the 21st Century Back Care clinic in Mansfield Place

"One morning in March 2008, I woke up with an unbelievable pain shooting through my leg and my back, it was excruciating.

"I called the doctor and she confirmed that I had sciatica, and referred me to a recovery programme at the local health centre.

"Once I was diagnosed with sciatica I lost a lot of time just lying in my bed – I couldn't move, I felt helpless. Being stuck in bed and the loss of earnings from being off work was just a nightmare.

"A couple of months later the pain had eased a bit and I went to the health centre where they gave me a programme of stretches and exercises to do. The majority of people there were pensioners – a good 20 years older than me. I thought 'how have I got this at my age?' but it's obviously down to my job as a taxi driver.

"The eight-week programme at the centre did help, but the whole process was slow. I think it was in the January that I got a slight twinge in my back and I thought, 'I'm not going through all this again'.

"I had picked up this woman in my taxi about month or so before who told me about the TAMARS treatment and gave me a leaflet. She was on her way to the clinic in Mansfield Place.

"I went to the clinic in February where I was told I had a twisted spine, and I got my first TAMARS treatment. They explained that it wasn't going to be an instant recovery. It was like getting your spine massaged, it wasn't painful."

Director of 21st Century Back Care, Jeff Knox, 29, explains: "We use a device about the size of a computer mouse to work on the full length of the spine. The idea is to free up all the joints, by putting pressure on them, and straighten the spine. The device has four pads on it and it replicates what I can do with my fingers and thumbs, but for a lot longer and with more pressure. The half-hour treatment costs 40 and for one hour it's 65. On average people need five to six sessions."

Andrew continues: "It took me less than half the time with this treatment to get back to normality. I had about eight treatments altogether. I think it's a terrific treatment and I feel it really speeded up my recovery."

• For more information on 21st Century Back Care, telephone 0131-557 4404, or e-mail [email protected]

'And then, with no effort at all, I was touching my toes'

Olga Wojtas, 56, a writer from Bruntsfield, tried Hellerwork expert Caroline Tremlett, Scotland's first practitioner of the treatment, who is based in the Capital's Tytler Gardens

I SPEND my working life hunched over a computer and, not surprisingly, I have a bad back. I've been to chiropractors and osteopaths which has helped, but not for long. But my life has just been transformed by a therapy called Hellerwork.

I went to see Caroline Tremlett, in her flat just behind Holyrood Palace. Caroline looks enviably fit and youthful, and it wasn't surprising to find she trained as a physical education teacher, and was a competitive horse rider, squash and hockey player.

Friendly and sympathetic, she reassured me that I wasn't the hopeless case I reckoned I was.

Hellerwork was founded by Joseph Heller, a Pole who emigrated to the United States, who developed a technique of aligning and balancing the body by lengthening and repositioning the connective tissue round muscles and organs. And it works for all ages, from babies to centenarians.

Caroline explains: "It never accepts that at any stage of our life, there isn't a chance to change something."

We started off with a chat which gave Caroline an idea of how my back problem had developed, and how work pressures were aggravating it. Hellerwork is firmly rooted in science, but it recognises the strong link between the mind and body. When the body feels restricted, it can become very frustrated at a subconscious level.

"Sometimes when things aren't working properly, the mind become more rigid, thinking in terms of what we 'should' be doing, and the body gets dismissed a bit," Caroline says. When the body feels more free, she believes it can have a positive effect on us mentally.

She checked how I walked and stood, and then started the treatment on a massage table. She wears a salwar kameez, the trouser and tunic combo traditional in South Asia. She explained that Hellerwork uses deep tissue massage on the connective tissue, which contains cells of fluid.

As Caroline started massaging my back muscles, the pressure was strong but not painful or uncomfortable. She kept checking how I was feeling, and I told her that while my back was easing, a recurring ache in my upper arm had returned. She moved on to massaging my neck, getting me to turn my head slowly from side to side. And in a few moments, I felt the pain in my arm subside.

What really surprised me after the session was how my body seemed to retain the memory of the best way to hold itself.

When I returned for another session, I joked that while I might have made enormous progress, I would never be able to touch my toes. The next thing I found Caroline massaging my calf muscles while getting me to lift my toes and then my heels. And then, with no effort at all, I was touching my toes. I would assume I had dreamed it, except that a fortnight on, I can still do it.

• A 90-minute Hellerwork session with Caroline costs 50 – for more information, call 0131-620 2293, or e-mail [email protected]

OTHER WAYS TO RELIEVE THE PAIN

THERE are a number of treatments available for back problems. Advice should be sought from your GP before trying any treatment.

Physiotherapy: Physiotherapists can assess and treat back pain, and teach exercises to do at home that will increase mobility and help manage pain. To make an appointment, contact Physiotherapy Scotland on 0131-333 3554 or visit www.physiotherapyscotland.co.uk

Manipulation: Osteopathy and chiropractic are treatments involving manipulation of the body, mainly focusing on the spine. They are most useful for people who have suffered back pain for less than three months.

For a qualified chiropractor near you, contact the Scottish Chiropractic Association on 0141-404 0260 or visit www.sca-chiropractic.org. To find a qualified osteopath near you, contact the General Osteopathic Council on 020 7357 6655 or visit www.osteopathy.org.uk

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) unit: TENS units relieve back pain by delivering mild electric pulses to the painful area through electrodes on the skin, which stimulate nerve fibres and block the pain signals to the brain.

Available from most pharmacies, prices range from around 10 to around 40.

The Alexander Technique: This complementary therapy teaches how to reduce stress and release harmful patterns of muscle tension, restoring ease and freedom of movement. For classes in Edinburgh, visit www.alextechedin.co.uk/group-classes