generic internet advice vs. specific osteopathic advice
The Problem With Generic Back-Pain Advice Online
At Osteopathic Movement South Yarra, we frequently meet patients who’ve attempted various online solutions for their back pain — yet the issue persists, and they’re left unsure about what they should be doing next.
The internet is full of well-intentioned advice, but almost all of it is generic.
Your back pain, however, is not.
Pain is personal, contextual, and shaped by your lifestyle, training load, daily habits, sleep, stress level, and what your body can currently tolerate. That’s why something that helps one person online may flare someone else for a week.
This blog will help you understand why online advice often misses the mark, what you may need instead, and how to move forward safely and confidently.
Your Back Pain Has a Story — Online Advice Doesn’t
Most online back-pain advice assumes that:
your pain comes from the same structure as someone else’s
your movement capacity is the same
your training habits are the same
your nervous system responds the same
and your back is irritated for the same reason
But two people can present with “lower back pain” and have completely different underlying issues.
One person might have:
a sudden acute injury while lifting or twisting
Another might:
avoid bending for months because it “feels painful” or they fear causing damage
Others might:
sit at a desk for 8–10 hours a day
return to exercise too quickly after time off
be doing too much too soon after too little for too long
have increased sensitivity from stress or poor sleep
have limited mobility in other regions causing the back to compensate
brace excessively because they’ve been told their “core is weak”
have movement habits shaped by fear rather than confidence
Your back pain has context — your routine, your body, your history.
The internet doesn’t know any of this, but an osteopath can work it out in minutes.
Pain Doesn’t Mean the Same Thing for Everyone
When people talk about “back pain,” they usually assume it means injured tissue.
But a painful or tight back can mean:
tissues are overloaded
tissues are under-loaded and weak
a movement has been avoided for too long
the body and nervous system is sensitive, but not damaged
the body is injured and is rightfully sensitive as it needs temporary protection
posture is too static and sedentary, not “bad”
stress and fatigue are pushing the system into protection mode
the body’s load tolerance doesn’t match the demands placed on it
the spine is compensating for stiffness somewhere else
Online advice treats all these situations the same — which is why people often say:
“I tried that stretch I found online… and it made it worse.”
It’s not because the stretch was “bad.”
It just wasn’t the one you needed.
Why Back Pain Feels Different Day to Day
Another reason generic online advice falls short is that back pain isn’t static. Your experience of pain can change dramatically depending on factors that have nothing to do with tissue damage, such as:
how well you slept
how stressed you’ve been
how busy or fatigued you are
how much time you’ve spent sitting
whether your training load changed suddenly
whether you’ve been avoiding certain movements
how confident or fearful you feel about using your back
This “day-to-day variability” is normal, but it’s also why an exercise that feels great one day might feel uncomfortable the next. Pain fluctuates because your nervous system fluctuates — not because your back is fragile.
Understanding these patterns helps you work with your body instead of reacting to every flare-up as if something has gone wrong. This is a key part of long-term management and something your osteopath can help you identify quickly.
Sometimes You Need to Work Around the Movement — and Sometimes You Need to Work Through It
This is where context matters.
If your back pain is acute (new, under 3 months)
You might need to temporarily:
regress or modify how you squat, hinge or sit
reduce load or cut back on certain movements
give irritated tissues time to settle
avoid pushing into high-irritability movements
work within your current tolerance rather than against it
Some people in this stage need hands-on treatment or manual therapy.
Others need movement reassurance.
Some need to make changes or reduce the intensity of their training.
Others simply need to stay gently active.
If your back pain is chronic (persistent, over 3 months)
You might need the opposite approach:
gradual exposure to movements you’ve been avoiding
rebuilding tolerance and tissue capacity
strengthening instead of just stretching and mobility drills
learning to move confidently into previously sensitive positions
restoring movements your brain currently protects out of fear
addressing lifestyle contributors like sleep, stress and workload
Chronic pain often becomes more about sensitivity than damage, and the solution becomes building confidence and capacity rather than eliminating movement.
Online advice can’t tell which category you belong to — but your osteopath can.
Why Some “Back Pain Fixes” May Not Help, or Make Things Worse
Generic advice doesn’t consider:
your injury history
your age or occupation
your training routine and exercise background
your recovery habits
your week-to-week workload
your sleep and stress levels
your movement patterns
your mobility or strength deficits
which movements you fear
which movements you avoid
what flares you and calms you
what your MRI does or doesn’t show
your goals
Without this context, advice becomes guesswork — and your back deserves more than guesswork.
Even research shows that people with persistent back pain often have multiple contributing factors, and each one may require a different treatment approach.
For example:
Two people can have the same MRI findings but completely different levels of pain.
Two people can perform the same exercise, and one will improve while the other flares.
Someone who responds well to mobility work may worsen with strength work — and vice versa.
A person with poor sleep may feel more pain simply because their nervous system is fatigued.
Someone with high stress may perceive more threat in movement, making simple tasks feel unsafe.
This is why generic fixes don’t work consistently.
What You Actually Need: Context, Assessment & a Plan
An osteopath can help you:
identify which movements your back is sensitive to
figure out why it's reacting
determine whether the issue is strength, mobility, control, load, or sensitivity
assess how lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, work) contribute
build a management plan that matches your capacity
progressively rebuild tolerance
strengthen what needs strengthening
improve mobility where necessary
help you move confidently again
teach you which movements to temporarily modify
show you how to safely reintroduce those same movements
Hands-on treatment can help calm symptoms.
Rehab builds capacity so they don’t return.
Education reduces fear and helps you understand what your back can handle.
This combination — personalised to your situation — is what produces reliable results.
So Why Does Online Advice Feel So Convincing?
Because:
it’s simple
it’s fast
it’s easy to understand
it’s relatable
it’s often presented confidently
it shows someone else with a similar problem
it promises quick fixes (which the human brain loves)
it looks more scientific than it is
it makes people feel like they’re taking control
But simple doesn’t mean accurate, and confidence doesn’t mean correct.
Most creators don’t intend to mislead. They just don’t know your body.
Real Progress Comes From Understanding Your Pain
Good back-pain management is less about “the perfect exercise” and more about:
matching load to capacity
moving often, not perfectly
learning which movements are sensitive and why
improving tissue tolerance
building strength
managing lifestyle factors
understanding how pain works
progressing gradually and consistently
These things can’t be copied and pasted from the internet — they require a real assessment and a real plan.
The Takeaway
There’s nothing wrong with researching your pain, and there’s plenty of good information online. But pain isn’t something you can fix with a one-size-fits-all approach.
If you’re tired of conflicting advice, repeated flare-ups, or feeling unsure what your back actually needs, come see our team. We’ll assess the real reason behind your pain and build a plan that actually fits you — not the algorithm.