Two Burnaby Locations
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Direct billing available
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ICBC + WorkSafeBC
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Integrated rehab + training
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Online booking available
Burnaby Physiotherapy
Back Pain Physiotherapy in Burnaby
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people stop training, move less, sleep worse, and lose trust in their body. At Driftwood Athletics, our goal is to reduce pain, understand what is driving it, and help you return to bending, lifting, work, sport, and daily life with more confidence.
What this is ?
Back pain is often more complex than people expect, but it is usually less fragile than they fear. In many cases, the problem is not that the back is damaged beyond repair. It is that tissues have become irritated, movement has become guarded, strength and tolerance have dropped, or certain activities are currently exceeding what the system can handle.
Back pain may be linked to lifting, sitting, sport, sudden increases in training, repeated bending, previous injury, or periods of inactivity and deconditioning. Sometimes symptoms also include stiffness, pain into the glutes, or a sense that the back “goes out” repeatedly.
Common causes
Common contributors include lifting overload, poor recovery, reduced hip mobility, reduced trunk endurance, deconditioning, flare-ups after long sitting, and fear-driven movement avoidance. Some people also experience nerve-related symptoms, persistent pain patterns, or mechanical sensitivities that need a more individualized plan.
Symptoms and when to get assessed
Get assessed if back pain keeps recurring, limits training or work, wakes you at night, or includes leg symptoms, numbness, weakness, or loss of confidence with lifting and bending. Severe trauma, major neurological changes, or changes in bowel or bladder function require urgent medical attention.
How we assess it
A thorough evaluation should look at symptom behavior, movement tolerance, lifting mechanics, trunk strength, hip contribution, irritability, nerve involvement, and the way fear or guarding may be affecting movement.
How treatment works
Treatment may include reassurance, activity modification, graded exposure to bending and lifting, trunk and hip strengthening, walking or aerobic progression, manual therapy where appropriate, and coaching around pain-related fear. The aim is not simply to “protect the back,” but to make it more capable.
Recovery & return to activity
Most people do not need to wait until they are pain-free to start rebuilding. In many cases, appropriate loading is part of recovery. The right plan helps people reintroduce movement in a way that is specific, sustainable, and confidence-building rather than random.
Why Choose Driftwood Athletics
Because Driftwood sits at the intersection of rehab and real training, you can bridge the gap between treatment-room advice and the actual demands of work, lifting, classes, and everyday life.
Is rest the best treatment for back pain?
Usually not for long. Short-term relative rest can help, but most people improve better with gradual movement and appropriate loading.
Do I need a scan?
Not always. Many episodes of back pain are managed effectively without imaging.
Can I lift again after back pain?
Yes, in many cases the goal is exactly that, but the progression should be individualized.
What if I have had this for years?
Persistent back pain can still improve when the plan addresses strength, tolerance, fear, and daily load management.