Adam Whatley at is a specialist osteopath and musculoskeletal spinal clinician with many years of experience as a musculoskeletal professional, aiding and treating the elements of acute low back pain and chronic low back pain, in addition to the treatment of joint pain, muscular pain and injury. He explains how most back pain is referred to as non-specific mechanical low back pain in which the symptoms by definition cannot be linked to a particular pathology. Nerve root pain may occur with low back pain that can give referred pain into the leg and foot, known as sciatica.

Classifications into acute (less than 6 weeks), sub-acute (6-12 weeks) and chronic (more than 12 weeks) are used. Acute back pain can often be brought on by trauma, or brought on from a build-up of low-grade mechanical irritation. Pain can occur from heavy lifting or over-stretching, causing a sprain, strain, or muscle spasm that has been taken beyond their stabilisation capacities. Chronic back pain and chronic joint pain can often be due to low-level irritation of the structures surrounding the spine, example; joints, ligaments, and muscles. More often than not chronic back pain becomes predisposed by local aging and degeneration (arthritis) with the discs that lead to the on-going consequences compression and reduced range of movement, local low-level irritation, reduced blood flow into the de-conditioned locations and increased overuse and chronic shortening. These are also typical presentations of acute neck pain and chronic neck pain seen and treated by an osteopath.