The Truth About Back Pain

If you're dealing with back pain in Edmonton, chances are you've already heard alot of conflicting advice. Rest it. Stretch it. Strengthen your core. get an MRI. Don't get an MRI. Try massage. Try dry needling. Try Decompression. Trying giving up hope.

But here’s the deal, most of what we thought we knew about back pain is either outdated, oversimplified, or just plain wrong.

Back Pain Isn’t Always About Damage

It’s tempting to think of the spine like a stack of fragile Jenga blocks that need protecting. But the reality is that the spine is strong, adaptable, and built to move. Research shows

that back pain doesn’t always mean something is damaged. In fact, imaging studies on people without pain often reveal disc bulges, arthritis, and other "abnormalities", yet they feel perfectly fine (Brinjikji et al., 2015).

So if you’ve had an MRI or X-ray and been told your pain is due to degeneration or wear-and-tear, take a breath. Those findings are often normal parts of aging, not automatic pain generators. What you see on a scan doesn’t always match what you feel.

It’s More Than Muscles and Joints

Chronic back pain is rarely just about muscles or joints. It’s about your nervous system, your environment, your beliefs, your sleep, your stress levels and how all those things

interact. Pain is a protective response, not a damage detector.

Unfortunately, many treatments still focus on the idea that something needs to be “put back into place” or “realigned.” But modern pain science tells us it’s more productive to build confidence in movement rather than fear it.

This is where back pain physiotherapy in Edmonton has started to evolve, with clinics like Shift Physiotherapy leading the way in evidence-based, movement-focused care. The best physiotherapists aren't just stretching you out or zapping you with machines, they're coaching you to understand your body, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and gradually do more of what matters.

Passive Treatments Are a Piece, Not the Puzzle

People love hands-on care. A good massage or needling session can feel fantastic. But if you're relying solely on passive treatments, whether that’s shockwave or manual therapy, your progress will likely stall. These methods might offer short-term relief, but they don’t create long-term change.

Instead, active rehab, think progressive movement, strength training, graded exposure to feared activities are where and when the real changes happen. This approach doesn’t just treat symptoms; it restores function and builds resilience.

Don’t Fear Movement. Train For It.

The best Edmonton physiotherapists for back pain help you move more, not less. Pain during certain movements doesn’t always mean harm. It might mean your system is sensitized. In simple terms, your nervous system has become extra alert amplifying

normal sensations into pain, even when there’s no actual harm being done. The goal isn’t to eliminate all discomfort instantly; it’s to slowly reintroduce your body to tolerated activity in a way that builds confidence and capacity.

If you're into sports injury back pain or just trying to get back to walking your dog without flinching, you’ll benefit more from personalized, progressive loading than cookie-cutter stretching routines, passive modalities or endless core exercises. That’s the kind of practical, personalized care you’ll find with the experienced physiotherapy team at Shift Physiotherapy.

Scans Aren’t a Roadmap

In most cases, back pain treatment in Edmonton doesn’t require imaging. Guidelines consistently recommend against routine MRIs or CTs for low back pain unless there are

red flags (like unexplained weight loss, serious trauma, or nerve symptoms).

Why? Because imaging can lead to catastrophizing and unnecessary interventions. It’s what one might call “medical overkill.” Instead, a careful assessment by a skilled clinician who listens, educates, and collaborates with you will get you much further than a grainy picture of your spine.

What Actually Works

So what does help?

• Education: Understanding that pain ≠ damage.

• Movement: Especially movements you're avoiding.

• Gradual loading: Strength and capacity trump fragility.

• Supportive coaching: Not just from therapists, but your own mindset.

• Consistency: There's no silver bullet but there is sustained effort.

  
  

If you're seeking lower back pain relief in Edmonton, the answer isn’t lying face down on

a table hoping someone fixes you. It’s walking into a space like Shift Physiotherapy where you’re seen as a whole person, not just a painful body part, and where the focus is on working step-by-step toward better movement, greater confidence, and less fear.

Final Thoughts

Back pain is frustrating. It’s one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. But it’s also one of the most over-medicalized and misunderstood. By shifting our thinking from damage to adaptation, from fragility to strength, we can reclaim control.

Whether you're looking for a back pain physiotherapist in Edmonton or just want to know what’s next, know this: you're not broken. You're adaptable. And with the right support like the evidence-based care offered at Shift Physiotherapy, you can get better.

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References

1. Brinjikji, W., et al. (2015). Systematic Literature Review of Imaging Features of Spinal Degeneration in Asymptomatic Populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 36(4), 811–816.

2. Maher, C., Underwood, M., & Buchbinder, R. (2017). Non-specific low back pain. Lancet, 389(10070), 736–747.

3. O’Sullivan, P. et al. (2018). Back to basics: 10 facts every person should know about back pain. Br J Sports Med, 52(24), 1543–1544.

4. Caneiro, J. P., et al. (2020). It's time to move beyond 'body region silos' to manage musculoskeletal pain. Br J Sports Med, 54(8), 438–439.

5. Darlow, B. et al. (2012). The enduring impact of what clinicians say to people with low back pain. Ann Fam Med, 10(1), 31–37.