Low Back Pain and BPS Practice

Section 1: Welcome

We begin with your goals and what you want from the course, then explain what has shaped the material and what to expect.

The next section moves into critical thinking and logic.

We examine why people may improve, which parts of care may be contributing and what may be getting in the way.

The aim is to help you question your reasoning without pretending there is one correct answer.

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Introductions (13:20)

Navigating the platform (4:58)

Definitions, philosophical frameworks & critical thinking (21:24)

Casual Conversations - 1 (28:46)

Section 2: Epidemiology of back pain

This module examines prevalence, imaging, clinical guidelines and movement for low back pain. We consider what population data can tell us and where individual clinical judgement is still required.

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Epidemiology of back pain (10:57)

Risk factors for low back pain (6:55)

Imaging (8:00)

Invasive procedures (5:12)

Guidelines (14:16)

Special orthopaedic tests (8:37)

Section 3: Red Flags

We will consider serious pathology and other reasons for further investigation, while keeping the probability of these findings in perspective.

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Red flags (13:51)

Section 4: Pain science and Biopsychosocial Practice

Pain is an experience of the person. Nociception may contribute to pain, but it is not a pain signal and the relationship is not one-to-one.

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The fundamentals of pain science (25:39)

A closer look at the biology (12:38)

Tissue injury and pain (7:26)

Placebo and Nocebo (25:48)

Biopsychosocial practice (15:17)

Casual Conversations - 2 (20:47)

Section 5: Predictive Processing - exploring perception and action

Perception involves inference. Information from the body is interpreted alongside prior experience, expectations and context.

This provides one way to think about why pain can vary even when tissue state appears similar.

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An introduction to perception (14:21)

A Bayesian perspective (13:16)

Perception and action (8:00)

Section 6: The common sense model to illness perception

People bring beliefs, emotions, expectations and ways of responding to their condition. These are shaped by their history and circumstances and can be difficult to understand from the outside.

This module offers a framework for organising that complexity and developing a coherent, values-led plan with the person.

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The model and its applications in the clinic (27:17)

Section 7: Facts and myths of the lower back

This section examines common ideas about low back pain, including posture, lifting, movement screens, the core, spinal instability, the sacroiliac joint, spondylolisthesis and disc-related presentations.

We examine what the evidence supports, where claims have been overstated and where interpretation remains uncertain.

The aim is to help you decide which findings matter for the person in front of you.

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Facts and myths of low back pain

Why sorting myth from fact matters (2:52)

Posture (19:58)

The 'core' (14:58)

Safe lifting (40:15)

Movement screens (11:02)

Spondylolisthesis (9:24)

The sacroiliac joint (13:25)

Section 8: Practical communication skills

This section draws on motivational interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Clinical examples are used to examine listening, validation and supporting change.

We will practise explanations that are accurate, useful and responsive to the person's concerns.

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Fundamentals and the subjective assessment

Experiential learning

Debrief of clinical example

Handling challenging scenarios

Tying it all together

Self-care & summary

Section 9: Exercise and activity prescription

Movement can be useful for many reasons, including function, confidence and participation.

We will consider how to plan movement with the person rather than treating it as a generic prescription.

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Graded activity (17:11)

Constraint-based learning & motor learning (14:21)

Constraint-based exercise ideas (25:52)

Symptom modification exercise ideas (29:45)

Casual Conversations - 3 (15:42)

Section 10: Some final words

The final module brings the course together and asks how the material changes your reasoning and practice.

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Clinical footprint, mentorship and other resources (9:25)