Back Pain · Evolutio Sports Physio Richmond
Back pain explained. Then fixed properly.
Lower back pain, disc herniations, sciatica, facet joint dysfunction, SIJ pain and athletic back injuries. We treat the cause, not just the location. 45-minute assessments and the same physio every visit.
Why back pain is so persistent
Around 80% of Australians will experience significant lower back pain at some point. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide. And yet most people who seek treatment receive it for the wrong reason, in the wrong place, for the wrong amount of time.
Back pain has a location but not always an obvious source. A disc bulge visible on MRI may not be causing your pain at all. A muscle that feels tight may be guarding something else. The facet joint you can barely bend without pain may be irritated because of how your hips move, not because of what happened to that joint itself. Identifying the actual source of your pain, and the factors contributing to it, is what makes the difference between treatment that works once and treatment that holds.
We have been treating back pain at Evolutio since 2013. Our 45-minute initial assessments give us the time to do this properly. The same physio sees you from first appointment through to discharge. You leave your first session with a written email summary: diagnosis, plan, timeline, and video exercises. Read about what to expect at your first visit.
In-depth reading
If you want to understand your back pain properly before booking or before your appointment, our comprehensive rehabilitation guide covers causes, treatment approaches, home exercises, recovery timelines and red flag symptoms. It is the most thorough back pain resource we have published, written from 13 years of clinical experience at Evolutio Richmond.
Book an assessment
Prefer to call or WhatsApp? 03 9100 3798 or +61 430 436 531. Open Mon to Thu until 7:30pm, Fri until 6pm, Sat until 1pm.
Back conditions we treat
Treating back pain without an accurate diagnosis is how people end up in pain for years. These are the conditions we see most often and understand best.
Sudden onset back pain from muscle strain, ligament sprain or disc irritation. Often follows a specific incident: lifting, twisting, prolonged bent postures or fatigue-related movement breakdown. Most acute back pain resolves well with appropriate early management. The key is not resting completely but staying active within pain tolerance and addressing contributing factors from day one. Read our lower back guide for acute pain management.
When a disc herniates and presses on a nerve root, pain, tingling or weakness radiates down the leg, following the path of the affected nerve. This is sciatica. The L4, L5 and S1 nerve roots are most commonly involved, producing symptoms into the posterior thigh, calf, ankle and foot. The vast majority of disc herniations resolve with conservative management. Cochrane reviews support physiotherapy as the first-line approach before surgical consideration.
The small joints at the back of each vertebral segment can become acutely locked, producing sharp one-sided pain first thing in the morning, or develop gradual arthritic change that causes stiffness and aching. Facet joint pain typically worsens with extension and rotation and improves with sitting and forward bending. It responds well to joint mobilisation, targeted exercise and load management.
The SIJ connects the spine to the pelvis and plays a crucial role in load transfer between upper and lower body. SIJ dysfunction produces one-sided lower back pain slightly off-centre, often radiating into the buttock. Commonly aggravated by single-leg activities, getting out of a car, rolling in bed and climbing stairs. Frequently misdiagnosed as lumbar or hip pathology. Accurate assessment differentiates it reliably.
Back pain persisting beyond 12 weeks. Often involves multiple contributing factors including movement patterns, training load, psychological components such as fear-avoidance, and lifestyle factors. Chronic pain requires a different approach to acute management, addressing the full picture rather than chasing the source of pain with passive treatment. Research consistently shows exercise-based rehabilitation is more effective than passive treatment alone. Read about chronic pain management in our guide.
AFL players, CrossFit athletes, cyclists, runners and golfers all develop sport-specific back injury patterns. We treat spondylolysis (stress fracture at the vertebral arch, common in gymnasts and AFL players), discogenic pain from heavy lifting, chronic low-grade lumbar pain from prolonged cycling position, and lower back pain from running gait issues. We work with Ciclo Melbourne on cycling-specific back cases where bike position is a contributing factor.
Prolonged sitting shortens hip flexors, inhibits gluteals, stiffens the thoracic spine and alters breathing patterns, all of which increase load on the lumbar spine. For CBD and inner-suburb professionals who then train hard outside work hours, this creates predictable and recurring injury patterns. We address both sides: the desk and the training. Read about our CBD professional approach.
Narrowing of the spinal canal, typically from arthritic changes, that can compress nerve roots and the spinal cord itself. Produces neurogenic claudication: leg pain, heaviness or weakness that develops with walking and is relieved by sitting or leaning forward. Most common in patients over 50. Evidence supports exercise-based physiotherapy as first-line management, with surgical decompression reserved for severe cases.
Back pain affects up to 80% of pregnant women, driven by hormonal changes affecting ligament laxity, postural adaptations to the growing belly, and disrupted sleep. Safe, evidence-based physiotherapy during pregnancy includes targeted exercise, postural education and manual therapy. We take a conservative, pregnancy-appropriate approach and coordinate with your obstetrician or midwife when needed.
How we treat back pain
Every treatment plan is built from the assessment findings. Nothing is assumed. Nothing is generic.
Forty-five minutes to understand your back properly. Thorough history, movement and provocation testing, neurological screening, assessment of contributing factors including hip mobility, breathing patterns, training load and lifestyle. Imaging reviewed if available. Within 48 hours, a detailed email with your diagnosis, plan, timeline and video exercises.
Hands-on therapy matched to your specific diagnosis. Spinal mobilisation and manipulation to restore joint mobility. Soft tissue work and dry needling where indicated. Exercise prescription that progressively loads the right structures in the right sequence. Load management and activity modification to keep you functional during recovery.
Return to running, sport, training or simply pain-free daily life. Core strength that addresses the actual weaknesses rather than generic abdominal exercises. Movement retraining that corrects the patterns contributing to your pain. Prevention strategies that address recurrence risk. Research shows 60 to 70% of people have some back pain recurrence within a year without proper prevention work.
Who comes to us
We treat the full spectrum of back pain presentations at Evolutio. From the CBD professional who has had a sore back for six months and finally decided to do something about it, to the AFL player managing a stress fracture in their lumbar spine, to the cyclist whose lower back aches every ride because their saddle is 15mm too low.
The common thread is that they all received a thorough assessment, a specific diagnosis, and a plan built around their actual life rather than a generic back pain protocol. That is what makes the difference between treatment that holds and treatment that doesn't. Read about our clinical outcomes.
Eight hours at a desk followed by training. Hip flexors shortened, glutes inhibited, thoracic spine stiff. We address both sides of the equation. CBD professional approach.
Running gait that loads the lumbar spine. Cycling position that compresses it. We treat sport-specific back pain and work with Ciclo Melbourne on bike fit cases.
Deadlift and squat mechanics. Olympic lifting back injuries. CrossFit-related lumbar strain. We treat strength sport back injuries with deep understanding of the training demands. CrossFit injury guide.
Months or years of back pain that has been managed with passive treatment without lasting improvement. We address the full picture including movement patterns, load, psychological factors and lifestyle. Chronic pain section in our guide.
The clinic
Back pain is the most common reason Melburnians visit a physio and the condition most frequently dismissed with a generic exercise sheet and vague advice to "strengthen your core." We take a different approach because we have seen how badly that approach fails patients over time.
Our clinic was built around the idea that a patient who understands their injury recovers faster than one who doesn't. Our written post-session summaries, the same physio at every visit, and the 45-minute assessment time are all part of that principle. We are one of Melbourne's highest-rated sports physio clinics because of how we treat people, not despite it.
About EvolutioSelf-management
What you do between appointments matters as much as what happens during them. These principles apply across most back conditions.
Who you will see
No rotating roster. No re-explaining your history. The physio who does your back assessment treats you through to the end. Choose who you would like to work with and book directly.
Nine years experience. Complex and recurring back pain, disc herniations, chronic lumbar conditions, biomechanics and orthotics. Particularly strong at finding the contributors that have been missed in previous assessments. The practitioner you want when your back has been treated repeatedly without the pain resolving.
Book with Bayden
Dual Masters in Physiotherapy and Clinical Exercise Physiology from USyd. Particularly strong with athletic back injuries, strength sport-related back pain, CrossFit and Olympic lifting back conditions. Previously rehab leader for the Western Bulldogs AFLW team. Saturday mornings only, book ahead.
Book with Phill
Warm, attentive and particularly thorough at identifying why back pain has developed and persisted. Excellent with postural back pain, runner-related back pain, and patients who have received inconsistent diagnoses elsewhere. Her approach to ruling in and ruling out conditions at assessment is a genuine strength.
Book with Kelsi
Ironman 70.3 triathlete and Ciclo Melbourne bike fitter. The specialist for cycling-related back pain, where bike position is frequently as important as spinal mechanics. Also brings expertise in TMJ and tension headaches, which often present alongside chronic upper back and neck pain.
Book with ShirouzNot sure which physio is right for your back?
Every practitioner has a different area of strength. Browse the full team first.
Meet the whole teamGetting here
We are at 11/3 Bromham Place, Richmond VIC 3121. Five minutes from South Yarra and Toorak, two train stops from Flinders Street, and accessible via the Capital City Trail for cyclists. We serve patients from Richmond, South Yarra, Prahran, Toorak, Collingwood, Clifton Hill, the CBD and across Melbourne's inner suburbs.
Clinic Hours
Pricing 2026
Common questions
For a much more detailed resource, read our complete lower back pain guide. Or call 03 9100 3798.
It depends on the specific diagnosis. Acute muscle strains often improve substantially within 2 to 6 weeks. Disc herniations with nerve involvement may take 8 to 16 weeks. Chronic lower back pain requires ongoing management, with most people seeing meaningful improvement within 3 months of consistent rehabilitation. We will give you a specific realistic timeline at your first assessment. For a detailed breakdown by condition, read our lower back pain guide recovery section.
Generally yes, with important caveats. Complete bed rest is rarely beneficial and typically prolongs recovery. In the acute phase, gentle walking and basic range-of-motion movements are appropriate. As pain reduces, we progressively reintroduce strengthening and functional movements. The key principle is staying active within pain tolerance. If you are in significant acute pain, start with walking only and book an assessment before doing more. Our guide includes appropriate home exercises.
A disc bulge is a structural finding on imaging: the disc material extends beyond its normal boundary. It may or may not cause symptoms. Sciatica is a clinical presentation: pain, tingling, numbness or weakness radiating down the leg following the path of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is often caused by a disc herniation pressing on a nerve root, but can also result from piriformis syndrome, spinal stenosis or other structures compressing the nerve. The two terms are frequently confused. An assessment will differentiate the cause of your leg pain clearly. Read more in our guide's causes section.
In the majority of cases, yes. Surgery for back pain is appropriate for a small minority of patients, typically those with persistent neurological symptoms or cauda equina syndrome requiring emergency intervention. For most presentations including disc herniations, facet joint dysfunction and spinal stenosis, evidence consistently supports conservative management as first-line treatment. If you are considering surgery, ensure you have completed a thorough course of conservative rehabilitation with an accurate diagnosis first.
Yes, completely right. Research has repeatedly shown that disc bulges and herniations are common findings on MRI in people with no pain whatsoever. The imaging finding alone does not tell you whether that disc is the source of your symptoms. Clinical assessment, which examines how the pain behaves, what reproduces it, what relieves it, and whether any neurological signs are present, is what determines whether the disc is relevant. Do not assume your MRI finding is the diagnosis.
No referral is needed for standard appointments. Book directly online in under 60 seconds, call 03 9100 3798, or WhatsApp. A GP referral is only required for Medicare EPC rebates or WorkCover claims.
Senior Physiotherapists (Bayden and Phill): Initial $235 for 45 minutes, Follow-Up $140 for 30 minutes. Standard Physiotherapists (Kelsi and Shirouz): Initial $185 for 45 minutes, Follow-Up $130 for 30 minutes. A $85 deposit is taken at booking. HICAPS processes private health insurance rebates on the spot. See our full pricing and insurance guide.
Yes. Referred pain from the lumbar spine into the hip, buttock and leg is extremely common. We assess and treat the full picture at your initial appointment. Distinguishing between lumbar referred pain, SIJ dysfunction, hip pathology and true sciatica is a core part of our assessment. Our hip physiotherapy page is a useful companion read.
Ready to book
A 45-minute assessment gives you a specific diagnosis, a clear explanation of what is wrong and why, and a plan. Online booking takes under 60 seconds. No referral needed.
