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An interview with the proprietor
The proprietor of Backchairs Direct also attended the pain clinic at Kings College Hospital allowing himself to be "Wired" up as part of their research into neuropathic pain.
Click here to read the article.
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 It is estimated that 40% to 50% of the population in the UK experience back pain in any given year.
With normal clinical care 80% of them will recover within six weeks.
The remaining five million go on to have back pain that needs some sort of help and investigation.
Dr Dries Hettinga, head of research at the UK charity Backcare, said: "While back pain is very common, we still have a very poor understanding of this condition and its causes.
"Health professionals play a vital role in reassuring patients.
"While it may seem that sending patients for an X-ray or MRI can provide this reassurance, the scans often reveal very little.
"With the right information and support, most people are able to manage their pain and find that it gets better within days or weeks."
The draft guidelines from NICE say X-ray and MRI investigations of the spine should be limited to when tumours, breaks, fusions or serious inflammation and infection is suspected.
It advises all people with lower back pain to exercise, if necessary in supervised groups, and that doctors should be able to offer a course of manual therapy or acupuncture
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Article: August 2006
For generations, restless school children have been ordered to stop swinging on their chairs. But scientific evidence now suggests that what Sir and Miss dismissed as an annoying habit might have lifelong benefits. The action of tilting your chair forwards puts the body into a naturally good posture and prevents slumping.
With a growing number of children complaining of back pain it might be the quickest and cheapest remedy. The average school life means a youngster spends up to 10,000 hours at a desk. As many as 60 percent have admitted to some back problems and almost ten percent end up with serious back pain.
The charity BackCare is lobbying ministers to make sure money spent on school furniture goes towards 'back friendly chairs'. The charity believes teachers are now realising that a straight back can improve concentration, performance and behaviour. It wants the 'ubiquitous' plastic bucket chair to be replaced with adjustable, forward-tilting chairs and angled desks, which were popular in the Victoria era.
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Glossary of Back Care terms
Acupuncture
A therapy using fine needles to control the body's energy flows.
Analgesic
Pain-killing.
Anti-inflammatory
Reducing the inflammation that causes pain.
Ankylosing spondylitis
A painful disease that causes the joints to swell up and the bones to fuse together.
Bilateral
On both sides of the body.
Cervical
Refers to the seven vertebrae that make up the neck.
Coccyx
The last bone of the spine, often called the 'tail bone', made up of four tiny joined vertebrae.
Congenital
Present at birth.
Conservative management
The non-surgical treatment of back problems.
Diagnosis
Identification of a disease or change in a person's mind and/or body.
Degeneration of the disc
The discs between the vertebrae break up as they become more rigid, restricting movement of the spine and increasing wear on the vertebrae.
Epidural
Drugs injected into the spine, for the relief of pain.
Facet joints
The point at which two vertebrae meet and move against each other.
Fracture
A break in the bone.
Herbalism
Use of plants and herbal remedies to treat illness.
Herniated
Bulging through a part of the body, such as the soft core of a disc through its tough outer coating.
Inflammation
The body's reaction to injury or disease, which includes swelling, pain, heat and tenderness.
Intramuscular
Given by injection into a muscle.
Intravenous
Given by injection into a vein.
Ligament
Bands of fibrous tissue that bind the bones together at a joint.
Lumbago
An imprecise term for low back pain.
Non-specific lower back pain
A name sometimes given to pain caused by damage to the muscles and ligaments in and around the lumbar vertebrae.
Nerve root
The start of a nerve as it leaves the spinal cord.
Occupational therapists
Health professionals, also known as OTs, who find ways to help people live at home independently, despite their illness.
Orthopaedic
Referring to the branch of medicine which deals with problems of the skeleton.
Osteoporosis
A disease which makes the bone less dense and more brittle.
Pathology
The branch of medicine concerned with the examination of diseased tissues.
Pelvis
The bony circle formed by the hip bones and the sacrum and coccyx of the lower back.
Prognosis
An assessment of the expected future course and outcome of a person's disease.
Psychologist
A specialist in the processes of the mind and behaviour.
Radiographer
The member of the health care team who takes x-rays and scans.
Radiologist
A doctor who understands and interprets a scan or an x-ray.
Radiology
The use of x-rays in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Sacrum
The solid flat area at the bottom of the spine forming the back of the pelvis, consisting of five fused vertebrae.
Sciatica
Pain along the length of the sciatic nerve running down the back of the leg. Often used to describe leg symptoms.
Scoliosis
A sideways curvature of the spine.
Shiatsu
A form of massage which works on the energy flow around the body, and which can be helpful for stress-related conditions.
Spasm
Sudden and/or continued contraction of muscles, which can cause immobilising pain.
Spinal canal
The hole running down the length of the spine, containing the spinal cord.
Spinal stenosis
Narrowing of the width of spinal canal, which may put pressure on the nerves.
Spondylolisthesis
A condition in which one vertebra slips out of alignment with the other.
Spondylosis
A condition of the spine resulting from wear and tear and degeneration. It causes the discs to narrow and extra bone growth to occur between disc and vertebrae.
Symptom
A change in the body and the way it works, usually indicating disease or injury.
Therapy
A word often used to mean treatment.
Thoracic
Referring to the chest area, or the 12 thoracic vertebrae to which ribs connect.
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