The Honest Answer Comes Down to One Thing

Name: Sharp Physiotherapy
Price range: $$

“Should I rest, or should I keep moving with lower back pain?” It’s one of the most common questions there is. And if you go online, you’ll get the same answer almost everywhere — keep moving, exercise, don’t rest. Most physios will tell you the same, straight into exercises.

But I’ll be honest with you: that’s not always right. There is a time when the best thing you can do is leave it alone. So let me give you the honest answer on whether to rest or move with back pain, because it comes down to one thing — is your back pain acute, or is it chronic? Get that right, and you’ll know exactly what to do.

Acute Back Pain — When to Rest

Let’s start with acute. That means you’ve just done it. You bent down to put your socks on and your back went. You lifted something and your back went. It’s just happened, and it’s raw.

Here’s where people get it wrong. They’ve heard “keep moving,” so they try to push through it, stretch it, exercise it straight away. And that’s a mistake, because a freshly injured back is in what we call the acute inflammatory phase. It’s angry, it’s inflamed, and it’s not ready to be worked. The analogy I always use is that trying to exercise a back you’ve just injured is like prodding an angry dog with a hot rod — you’re just going to wind it up and make it angrier.

So with an acute injury, leave it be. Get into a position that’s comfortable, get some rest, and give it the time it needs to settle down on its own. This isn’t lying in bed for two weeks — it’s just not aggravating it while it’s raw. Let the angry phase pass. Then, once it starts to settle and feel a bit better, that’s when you gently start to reintroduce movement. But it’s got to be the right type of exercise. You don’t come flying back in with stuff that’s far too advanced — you ease back in, sensibly.

Chronic Back Pain — When to Move

Chronic is a completely different story. Chronic means it’s been there a while — the back that’s been grumbling on for months, or years. The ongoing, nagging one.

And for chronic back pain, very often the worst thing you can do is nothing. Because when you do nothing, things just get tighter, stiffer and more guarded. Resting a chronic back tends to make it worse, not better. For these people, a bit of the right exercise is genuinely beneficial, especially alongside hands-on manual therapy.

But notice what I keep saying — the right exercise. Once you know what’s actually driving your back pain, the root cause, you know what you need to be doing. And when you do the right exercise for your specific problem, a little bit of movement can really speed up the recovery of a chronic back.

Bringing It Together

So let me bring it together, because it’s actually quite simple. The whole answer to whether you should rest or move with back pain comes down to working out which one you’ve got.

Is it acute — just happened, raw, inflamed? Then rest it. Leave it alone. Don’t prod the angry dog. Let it settle, then ease gently back into the right movement. Or is it chronic — been there for months, stiff and nagging? Then gentle, correct movement is usually exactly what it needs, and doing nothing will only make it tighter.

That’s the difference. Acute needs rest first. Chronic needs the right movement. Get that distinction right, and you’ll stop making the mistake that keeps so many people stuck — either flogging a fresh injury that needed rest, or resting a chronic one that needed moving.

Joe Sharp
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy

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Emma

Am 47 years old and had a car accident 13 years ago leaving me with a plate in my wrist , nerve damage and Thoracic outlet syndrome. I had spent thousands on physio with little to no joy of managing my pain and discomfort. I could not sleep through the night , I would grind my teeth, I couldn’t get back in to a pool to swim , no one was able to touch my wrist. I didn’t let people close because I did not want people to know how much I struggled. I just couldn’t imagine growing older and coping with it all. Lucy has changed all this , she is amazing , I went swimming in the sea within 3 months of seeing her . I can let someone hold my hand , I sleep, never felt poorly after my appointments. Lucy as gave me my life back , hope , took away fear and anxiety and that ground hog day feeling. Listen to Lucy and you should go Far. Great team , great company have a lot to offer.

Emily Flemming

After several knee dislocations, I was considering surgery on my knee. However after a block of sessions with Joe, I am now the strongest I have been and no longer need surgery. I started only being able to walk for 15 mins pain free and now can run and walk pain free. The whole team are lovely and welcoming and it’s been a fantastic experience - would hugely recommend!

Tom Stretton

Could not speak highly enough of the team for how much they helped me. I reached out to them around a month post elbow surgery with very limited movement capability in my elbow. My injury was given a full review, after which the team put together a full exercise program for me to follow which allowed me to continue to make progress in between appointments. Even the specialist surgeons at the hospital commented on how quickly I was progressing in terms of regaining movement, all thanks to the team at Sharp. I even received scar tissue treatment as part of the sessions to help reduce sensitivity, which was above and beyond what other physio’s would generally do. Would definitely recommend!

Beth Garlick

Can't recommend Sharp Physiotherapy enough. After seeing Sam for a few sessions for a problem with my knee I was still able to do the half-marathon I had planned, and learnt so much about the issues I was having and how to prevent them going forward. They really listen to you and make it a comfortable experience.

Katy Moss

Have had a great experienec with both Joe and Matthew, they both helped me massively with my back pain where with the odd bit of maintenance I am pain free. Thanks guys!

Sam Kent

Joe and lucy at sharps physio and all the team Know there jobs inside out and not just the best physio about there Genuine lovely people couldn’t recommend enough

Emily Cahill

I highly recommend the team at Sharp Physiotherapy! Matt at Bawtry was excellent in all aspects of treatment, and is a great person. Thank you again!

Ella Walker

Could not recommend Sharp Physiotherapy enough! After my hip arthroscopy my hip didn’t feel right and Joe and Lucy agreed. The team helped me find another surgeon for a second opinion and the surgeon agreed my hip was not right. I underwent another arthroscopy to sort out the issues from the first surgery and Lucy worked alongside the surgeon and treated me weekly to help with my hip. I then underwent a major hip surgery and then got an infection and Lucy was there to help with my rehab and treatment. I could not recommend Lucy enough she has helped me through so much, treating me, being extremely patient, understanding but also very knowledgeable. Lucy has been there for me and my family every step of the way! Lucy has worked alongside my surgeon to create a successful rehab plan. The team have managed to fit me in for appointments when I’ve been struggling with pain. I would not go anywhere else for Physiotherapy and can not recommend Lucy and Sharp physio enough!

Jayne Beilby

Sharp Physio are the absolute best! I've tried several before but never stuck with it as they never solved the problem. Lucy, Joe and the whole team want to get to the root of the problem, sort that out, then work on building you up from there. I've referred several people now and they have all had great experiences for different ailments/injuries. I honestly wouldn't look anywhere else! Your'e getting local physio's who have worked at Olympic & pro sport levels. The premises are lovely too so you feel welcome and looked after but not in a hospital type environment.😊

Sarah Timmins

I had tried many different practitioners over the years to help treat my headaches and neck pain with no one seeming able to help. Having seen a physiotherapist for 6 months with no results and then finally going to my gp who seemed clueless, I decided to give Sharp Physiotherapy a go. I was skeptical and unsure that they could help after many years of unsuccessful treatments. I had a telephone consultation and session with Sam T who put me at ease telling me that he was confident he could help. After my first session my headaches were instantly better, I was not expecting that at all. For years I have been in pain which has taken over my life and now I feel like my old self again and more importantly pain free! Sam seems to know where to target the pain and release the tension in my head and neck. I would not hesitate to recommend Sharp Physiotherapy to anyone, they are a fab team and very helpful.

Laura Brown