Stay gently active where possible
For many common episodes of back pain, prolonged bed rest can make stiffness and confidence worse. Short walks and comfortable daily movement may be more helpful than complete inactivity.
Adjust the amount of activity to your symptoms and build gradually. Recovery is rarely a perfectly straight line.
Use pacing instead of all-or-nothing activity
Doing too much on a good day and then resting completely after symptoms increase can create an unhelpful cycle. Choose an amount of activity you can repeat consistently and increase it in small steps.
- Change position regularly
- Break larger tasks into shorter periods
- Use comfortable movement throughout the day
- Increase walking or exercise gradually
- Track function as well as pain
When an assessment may help
Consider professional assessment if pain is severe, follows an injury, is not improving, repeatedly returns, or prevents normal work, sleep, or movement.
A physiotherapist can assess movement and function, explain likely contributing factors, and help develop a progressive rehabilitation plan.
Senior Physiotherapist. This article was last reviewed on August 25, 2026.