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Our Approach

The Back Pain Movement Roadmap™

If your back pain keeps coming back, it’s usually because the real driver hasn’t been found.

Most people are treated where it hurts.

We trace the problem upstream.

That’s the difference.

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Pain Is Usually the End of the Chain

Your back is often not the starting point.

It’s the area that’s compensating.

For example:

  • A stiff ankle can change how your hip works.

  • A weak hip can overload your lower back.

  • Repeated loading in one direction can irritate sensitive tissues.

  • Protective muscle tension can build over time.

The pain shows up last.

The driver shows up earlier.

Our job is to find that driver.

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Step One: Identify the Pain Mechanism

Back pain is not random.

It is driven by a mechanism.

That mechanism may involve:

  • Joint restriction

  • Direction-specific disc sensitivity

  • Motor control deficits

  • Load intolerance

  • Nervous system upregulation

  • Or a combination of these

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Until that mechanism is clear, treatment is broad.

When it’s clear, the roadmap becomes precise.

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The Foundation: The Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA)

At the centre of our system is a structured diagnostic framework called the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA).

SFMA does something most standard assessments don’t:

It examines how your entire body moves — not just where it hurts.

It helps us determine:

  • Is the painful area the true problem?

  • Or is it compensating for dysfunction elsewhere?

  • Is the issue mobility?

  • Stability?

  • Direction-specific loading?

  • Or system sensitivity?

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SFMA gives us a decision-making tree.

Each test leads to the next logical step.

It reduces guesswork.

It increases precision.

And it provides a map.

Without a map, recovery becomes trial and error.

Layered, Not Linear

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SFMA is the diagnostic spine of our approach.

But it’s not the only layer.

We integrate multiple methods into one coherent system.

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Movement & Biomechanics

  • SFMA principles

  • Functional movement screening

  • Segmental joint assessment

  • Directional preference testing

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Muscle & Load Testing

  • Manual muscle testing

  • Endurance and load tolerance measures

  • McGill-based spinal capacity principles

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Targeted Intervention

  • Precision manual therapy

  • Muscle inhibition and activation sequencing

  • Light-force laser therapy when appropriate

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Nervous System & Pain Science

  • Education on how pain works

  • Sensitivity regulation strategies

  • Behaviour and load management

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Each layer informs the next.

This is not random tool use.

It is sequenced integration.

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Why This Matters

Recurring back pain often persists because:

  • Compensation patterns were never identified

  • Exercises were given without proper classification

  • Load capacity wasn’t measured

  • Sensitivity wasn’t addressed

  • Progression wasn’t structured

​We remove those blind spots.

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​Structured Progression

Once we identify the mechanism, you move through clear 4 week phases:​

 

Reset. Reduce protective tension and restore baseline movement.

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Rebuild. Increase control, endurance, and load tolerance.

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​Resilience. Develop robustness under real-world stress (if required).

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This is not symptom management.

It is capacity development.

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Who This Is For

  • Active adults with recurring or persistent back pain

  • People who feel they never received a clear explanation

  • People frustrated with short-term fixes

  • People willing to follow a structured plan

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What You Can Expect

  • A detailed movement-based assessment

  • Clear classification of your pain pattern

  • A structured roadmap

  • Reassessment to measure progress

  • Education so you understand what’s happening

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You don’t leave guessing.

You leave with clarity.

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Your First Step

The Full Body Muscle & Movement Diagnostic Session  (€150)

If your back pain keeps coming back, the next step is clarity.

In this in-depth diagnostic session, you’ll leave knowing:

  • The likely driver behind your recurring pain

  • How your body is compensating

  • What needs to change — and in what order

  • Whether a structured plan is appropriate for you

 

If this approach isn’t right for your situation, we’ll tell you.

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