Do I have to give up sport?

Not as a matter of principle. The goal is to find a form of movement and a dosage of load that helps you and does not irritate your back unnecessarily. As a rough guideline, pain during the activity and afterwards should preferably not rise above 3 out of 10. This rule of thumb does not replace a personal assessment; especially new, severe, radiating or unusual symptoms should first be assessed by a doctor or therapist.

Not always. Often the combination of your history and a thorough physical examination already provides important information. Existing MRI, X-ray or other findings are taken into account, but not considered in isolation from your limitations, your load tolerance and your goals.

Which exercises help with back pain?

This cannot be answered in general terms, because different factors can lie behind similar symptoms. Exercises should match your current situation; you also learn to adjust duration, intensity and number of repetitions yourself and to interpret your body's response.

Why does the problem keep coming back?

Often it is less a problem of load and more a problem of load tolerance. In the long term, everyday life should not be adapted more and more to the back; instead, the individually missing abilities such as strength, mobility, suppleness, balance or coordination are developed step by step.

Condition

Back Pain

Q: How many treatments are necessary?

This cannot be reliably determined in advance. However, a noticeable change should become apparent after about four treatments, for example when sitting, moving, sleeping or doing sport. Afterwards, the progress, assumptions and treatment approach are reviewed again.

Q: Can other areas of the body also play a role?

Yes. For example, old injuries, restrictions in the hip or ribcage, the fascial system, the jaw and dental area, chronic inflammation or influences from the digestive system can be relevant. What matters is whether a plausible connection can be shown in your examination.

Individual back treatment in Potsdam

Creating the conditions for your back to do what you expect of it again – in everyday life, at work and in sport.

Back pain can severely restrict everyday life. Perhaps your back makes itself felt in the morning after getting up, when sitting for long periods, when bending down or during training. Perhaps the problem has been with you for months or years and keeps coming back, even though you have already tried various treatments.

That is why my focus is not only on the painful spot. I want to understand how your body as a whole contributes to your current situation: Which areas are no longer working the way they actually could? Which structures are permanently overloaded as a result? And how do the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system and other physical factors influence each other? Step by step, this creates a personal map of your body – as the basis for targeted treatment and self-help that fits your situation.

My goal is not solely to relieve the current pain. It is about regaining mobility, strength, suppleness, balance and trust in your own body. At the same time, you learn to interpret your reactions better and to adjust exercises or loads on your own – so that you gradually become your own "little therapist".

Freedom from pain

Getting through a working day, a dinner or a longer drive without constantly having to change position or search for relief.

Freedom of movement

Getting up in the morning, getting dressed, tying your shoes, bending and turning without first having to test your back cautiously.

Strength

Carrying and moving shopping, luggage or your own children without weighing up every load in advance.

Suppleness

Experiencing movements as easier, more fluid and more natural again – in everyday life as well as in yoga, strength training or sport.

Balance

Trusting your own back again and experiencing your body as a better coordinated whole, whose areas support each other.

Performance

Running, hiking, cycling, playing golf or training again – with more strength, security and enjoyment of movement.

Is this right for me?

Who is this treatment suitable for?

The treatment is particularly aimed at people

whose back pain keeps coming back,
who have already tried various treatments,
who do not want to constantly protect their back, but rather load it naturally and with confidence again,
who want to better understand and expand their physical capabilities,
who are willing to take an active part in their own progress,
who want to experience their body not only with less pain, but also as more mobile and more capable.

Typical situations

When does your back make itself felt?

Perhaps you recognise yourself in one or more of these situations:

after prolonged sitting in the office
in the morning when getting up
when bending down or putting on shoes
when lifting and carrying
after longer car journeys
when turning over in bed
when walking or standing for long periods
when jogging, hiking or strength training
with pain radiating into the buttocks or leg
again and again, without being able to identify a clear trigger

Understanding your situation

At the beginning, we look at when your back makes itself felt, what has already helped you and which activities you would like to pursue again. Existing medical findings, previous injuries and past treatments are taken into account.

Creating a personal map

The examination checks which areas are performing less than they actually should, which structures are more heavily loaded as a result and which interactions are relevant for you. Not every finding is treated automatically – only what actually affects your situation.

Initiating targeted changes

The treatment is derived from the results of the examination and adjusted over time. Depending on your needs, manual treatment, fascial therapy, targeted exercises and a gradual increase in load can be combined.

Becoming more independent

You learn to distinguish helpful from less helpful loads and to adapt your exercises to your daily condition, everyday life and training goals. In the long term, this creates more confidence in dealing with your own body – and the ability to respond appropriately to changes yourself.

Not as a matter of principle. The goal is to find the form of movement that helps you and does not irritate your back unnecessarily. As a rough rule of thumb, the load can be dosed so that pain during the activity and afterwards preferably does not rise above 3 out of 10. Duration, intensity, range of motion and number of repetitions can be adjusted accordingly.

However, this rule of thumb does not replace a personal assessment. To be on the safe side, especially with new, severe, radiating or unusual symptoms, a doctor or therapist should first assess which load is currently appropriate.

Not always. Often the combination of your history and a thorough physical examination already provides a great deal of important information. If MRI, X-ray or other findings are available, they are of course taken into account.

They are an important part of the overall picture, but they are not considered in isolation from your actual limitations, your load tolerance and your personal goals.

This cannot be reliably determined in advance. Progress, history and goals differ from person to person.

However, a noticeable change should become apparent after about four treatments – for example when sitting, moving, sleeping or doing sport. It is then reviewed what has developed, which assumptions have been confirmed and whether the current treatment approach should be adjusted.

Unfortunately, I cannot answer that in general terms. Even though people understandably often look for a single universal exercise, very different factors can lie behind similar symptoms.

An exercise should therefore not only be generally "good for the back", but should match your current situation. You also learn to adjust duration, intensity and number of repetitions yourself and to recognise how your body responds.

Yes. In practice, for example, old injuries, movement restrictions in the hip or ribcage, disorders in the fascial system, problems in the jaw and dental area, chronic inflammation or influences from the digestive system can be relevant.

This does not mean that one of these factors is automatically the cause. What matters is whether a plausible connection can be shown in your personal examination and whether changing this factor actually changes something in your back.

Often it is less a problem of load and more a problem of load tolerance. Sitting, bending, lifting or even the mattress are not necessarily the actual cause. A supposed "wrong lift" or "false move" is, in my view, usually just the occasion on which an already existing problem shows itself. What matters is whether your back can currently cope with these demands well enough.

Many treatments primarily aim to reduce the symptoms or to avoid painful movements and positions. That can make sense in the short term, but it does not necessarily change the physical preconditions. A more suitable mattress can make lying down more comfortable. If strength, mobility, balance or the interplay of different body areas remain restricted, however, the reduced load tolerance persists.

The long-term goal is therefore not to adapt everyday life more and more to the back. The back should become capable enough again that currently unpleasant movements gradually become possible and even comfortable. To achieve this, exactly the abilities that are missing in your personal situation are strengthened – such as strength, mobility, suppleness, balance or coordination.