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Back & Spine Rehabilitation · Canberra ACT

Back & spine rehabilitation in Canberra, chronic pain, disc conditions & post-surgical.

Structured exercise physiology for lower back pain, disc bulge and sciatica, spondylosis, and post-surgical spine rehabilitation. Graded exposure and evidence-based loading, not bed rest.

  • Chronic lower back pain
  • Disc bulge & sciatica
  • Spondylosis & degenerative spine
  • Post-surgical spine rehab
Book an appointment → 0418 153 608
Back & spine conditions

Back & spine conditions we treat.

Chronic Lower Back Pain

Graded exposure and progressive loading for persistent lower back pain. Evidence strongly supports active exercise over rest and passive therapy for chronic LBP. We build capacity, not dependence.

Chronic LBP

Disc Bulge & Sciatica

Structured exercise for disc-related lower back and leg pain. Motor control, progressive loading, and neural mobility, managed conservatively in most cases, coordinated with your specialist if surgical.

Disc & sciatica

Spondylosis

Exercise management for cervical and lumbar spondylosis (degenerative spine changes). Structured programs to maintain function, reduce pain, and slow progression of functional decline.

Spondylosis

Post-Surgical Spine Rehab

Rehabilitation following discectomy, laminectomy, spinal fusion, and other spine procedures. Surgeon-protocol-aligned progressive return to function with careful load management.

Post-surgical
Our philosophy

Movement is medicine. Rest is rarely the answer.

The evidence on chronic lower back pain is unambiguous: graded return to movement consistently outperforms rest, passive therapy, and prolonged avoidance. The brain's pain response to chronic back pain is real, but it can be systematically retrained through carefully dosed, progressive loading.

James uses a graded exposure approach, starting at a load your nervous system tolerates, then progressively increasing over weeks and months. The goal is not pain elimination as a prerequisite for movement; it's building capacity and confidence alongside meaningful pain reduction.

Post-surgical patients: If you've had or are planning spinal surgery, James coordinates directly with your surgeon's team to ensure rehabilitation aligns with surgical protocol. Don't start a loading program before clearance, call us first.

Modern back pain care, without the theatre.

The global evidence on low back pain is blunt: imaging is overused, rest is harmful, and graded activity with honest education outperforms passive treatment for the vast majority of presentations. Recent high-quality Australian research has reinforced that individualised, movement-confidence-focused rehabilitation produces large, lasting improvements in chronic low back pain, exactly the model our programs follow.

Nerve-root presentations get their own pathways, see lumbar radiculopathy and cervical radiculopathy, as do motor-vehicle injuries via the whiplash (WAD) program.

Frequently asked

Frequently asked

For most people with chronic lower back pain, carefully dosed exercise is one of the best things you can do. The fear of movement (kinesiophobia) often perpetuates chronic pain. James uses a graded approach, starting conservatively and progressing based on your response, that is safe and evidence-supported.
In most cases, no. The majority of disc bulges, even symptomatic ones with leg pain, resolve or substantially improve with conservative management including structured exercise, over 6–12 weeks. James will advise whether your presentation warrants specialist review before starting.
Yes. Chronic spinal conditions impacting function qualify for NDIS (Capacity Building) where your disability plan covers musculoskeletal conditions. DVA covers spine rehabilitation with a D904 referral. Medicare CDM plans and Workers Comp also apply.
Related

Related pages

MSK HubFCAFor GPsNDIS
Key evidence

Recent literature behind this program.

A selection of the research and clinical guidelines that inform how this condition is managed at Fitness & Wellbeing Physiology.

  1. Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. The Lancet 2018;391:2356–2367.
  2. Kent P, Haines T, O'Sullivan P, et al. Cognitive functional therapy with or without movement sensor biofeedback versus usual care for chronic, disabling low back pain (RESTORE): a randomised, controlled, three-arm, parallel group, phase 3, clinical trial. The Lancet 2023;401:1866–1877.
  3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management (NG59). NICE Guideline 2016 (updated 2020).

Evidence summaries are provided for information only and are not a substitute for individual clinical assessment.

Online booking

Book your appointment.

Same-week availability for NDIS, DVA, CDM, CTP and private clients.

Prefer to call? 0418 153 608 · or email admin@fwphysiology.com