First Assessment
Free
45 minutes, at home
- Full clinical examination at the patient's home
- The likely cause explained in plain language
- A realistic recovery plan and what it will cost
- No obligation to book any further sessions
Backs in Ghorpadi take a particular kind of punishment: not heavy manual labour, but hours in a driving seat on the way to somewhere else, idling at a railway crossing, then an evening of lifting a grandchild, a shopping bag or a bucket of water. That pattern wears the lower back down slowly, and it often flares without a clear injury to blame.
The back pain physiotherapy page explains the general causes and treatment. What follows is the Ghorpadi picture and what we do about it at home.
Where the load comes from in a Ghorpadi week
- The railway crossing. Stopping and starting around the level crossing and the flyover works keeps the hips flexed and the lower back braced, in a car or on a bike.
- Long drives from a quiet lane. A drive out along B T Kawade Road to Solapur Road or Kharadi is a long time in a bucket seat.
- Carrying children and bags. Grandparents who do the school pick-up near Sopan Baug lift, carry on one hip and bend over to tie shoes.
- Household chores. Mopping, lifting a gas cylinder, pulling a suitcase from the top of a cupboard.
- The sofa evening. A soft sofa after dinner leaves the spine flexed for hours.
It helps to know which of these applies to you, because the fix for a driver differs from the fix for a grandparent who carries.
How the home session runs
You will be asked how the pain began, whether it travels, what makes it better and worse, and whether there are signs that need a doctor. The physiotherapist examines movement of the spine and hips, tests leg strength and reflexes and checks sensation. That distinguishes mechanical back pain from pain coming from an irritated nerve root, which is managed differently. If your pain runs down the leg, the sciatica guide goes into more detail.
Because the visit is in your home, the physiotherapist can see the bed, the chair and the sofa you use, and can ask you to demonstrate how you lift, pick something up from the floor or get out of bed. Treatment is usually a mix of hands-on work for stiffness, a few exercises to build trunk and hip strength, and changes to the habits that keep setting off the pain. The knee pain physiotherapy page for Ghorpadi covers the other joint that tends to complain alongside the back.
Changes that fit a driver or a carer
- Set the seat so the knees are level with or just below the hips, and put a rolled towel in the curve of the back.
- At a red light or the crossing, let the shoulders drop and take a deep breath rather than gripping the wheel or the handlebar.
- On a bike, avoid leaning forward for the whole journey; sit tall where the road allows.
- Lift by squatting, with the load against your body, and turn your feet instead of twisting your spine.
- Get up and walk about every half hour on a sofa evening.
The sleeping position article is useful if mornings are worst.
Back pain that needs a doctor first
Do not wait for a home visit if you lose control of your bladder or bowels, feel numbness around the groin or inner thighs, develop leg weakness that is spreading, or have back pain after a fall or accident. Fever with severe back pain, unexplained weight loss, or constant pain that is worse at night also needs medical review.
Arranging a visit in Ghorpadi
You can book on the booking page and give your building, lane and floor. The Ghorpadi area page explains visit windows, and the elderly physiotherapy page is a good next read if the person in pain is an older parent.