Why Your Back Pain Keeps Coming Back (And How Somatic Exercise Stops the Cycle)
Published on 7th January 2026
It is a familiar story for too many people in Oldham.
You wake up with that dull ache in your lower back or that sharp pinch in your neck. You take an ibuprofen. You book a sports massage. You maybe even visit a chiropractor to get "cracked."
For three days, you feel great. You think it’s finally fixed. And then, a week later—usually while doing something simple like tying your shoelaces or sitting at your desk—the pain returns.
Why does this happen? Why do treatments seem to only work temporarily?
The answer lies in a concept that most commercial gyms and even some medical professionals overlook: Sensory Motor Amnesia.
At Physical and Nutrition Ltd, we deal with complex injury rehabilitation every day—from stroke survivors to office workers with chronic sciatica. The common thread we see is that most people are treating the muscle, when they should be treating the brain.
This brings us to the missing link in recovery: Somatic Exercise.
1. The "Band-Aid" Approach to Pain
To understand why your pain returns, you have to understand how the body holds tension.
When you are stressed, injured, or sit in a poor posture for 8 hours a day (the "Office Slump"), your nervous system sends a signal to your muscles to contract. This is a protection mechanism.
If this happens every day, your brain eventually "forgets" how to switch that muscle off. It stays permanently contracted. This is Sensory Motor Amnesia.
Massage forces the muscle to relax manually.
Chiropractic adjustments force the joint to move.
Stretching pulls the muscle fibers apart.
But none of these methods change the signal from the brain. Once you stand up and gravity takes over, your brain goes right back to its default setting: "Tighten up."
2. What is Somatic Exercise?
Somatic Exercise (or Somatics) is not Yoga. It is not Pilates. It is not "stretching."
It is a form of neuromuscular re-education. Instead of passively stretching a muscle, Somatics uses slow, conscious movements to teach the brain how to release the tension voluntarily.
The Science: Pandiculation vs. Stretching
In our clinic at the Falcon Business Centre, we teach clients a technique called "Pandiculation."
Think of what a cat does when it wakes up. It doesn't do a static hamstring stretch. It arches its back (contracts), and then slowly lengthens it out (releases).
Somatic exercise mimics this natural reset button. By slowly contracting a muscle and then very slowly releasing it, we send a new signal to the nervous system: "It is safe to let go."
This process:
Regulates the Nervous System: Taking you out of "Fight or Flight" mode.
Restores Mobility: Increasing range of motion without forcing it.
Eliminates Pain: By treating the root cause (the brain signal), not just the symptom (the tightness).
3. Who Needs Somatic Therapy?
You might think this is only for the elderly, but our data shows a huge rise in searches for "Somatic Exercise" among people aged 30-50.
You are a prime candidate for Somatics if:
You have "Tech Neck": Chronic tightness in the shoulders from desk work.
You have Sciatica: Pain radiating down the leg that doesn't respond to stretching.
You are Post-Injury/Post-Op: We use Somatics heavily in our Injury Rehabilitation packages for clients recovering from surgeries or strokes, where aggressive movement is not an option.
You are High-Stress: If you feel "wired but tired," your nervous system is likely stuck in overdrive. Somatics acts as a biological "off switch."
4. The P&N Protocol: Repair. Train. Sustain.
Many Somatic practitioners only focus on the gentle movement. Many Personal Trainers only focus on lifting heavy weights.
At Physical and Nutrition, we bridge the gap. We are a Hybrid Health Hub.
We believe that Somatics is the Foundation, but Strength is the Structure. You cannot build a house on shaky ground, but you also cannot live in a foundation forever.
Our 3-Step Process:
Repair (The Clinic): We use Somatic movements to eliminate pain and restore your range of motion. We might also use Applied Nutrition Collagen Peptides to support the physical repair of tendons and ligaments.
Train (The Gym): Once the pain is gone, we take you onto our private gym floor. We use resistance training to strengthen the muscles you just released, ensuring they can handle the load of daily life.
Sustain (The Lifestyle): We give you the tools—simple 5-minute somatic routines—to do at home, ensuring the pain never returns.
5. A Success Story: The "Unfixable" Back
Client Case Study (Anonymized)
The Problem: "James," a 42-year-old accountant from Oldham, came to us with 5 years of lower back pain. He had spent over £2,000 on chiropractors. He was afraid to deadlift. He was afraid to pick up his kids.
The P&N Approach:
We didn't put him on a treadmill.
We spent the first 4 sessions doing purely Somatic Floor Work. We taught him how to release his Psoas muscle (the deep core muscle often linked to back pain).
Week 5: The pain was gone.
Week 6: We introduced light kettlebells.
Week 12: James was deadlifting his bodyweight, pain-free.
6. Conclusion: Stop Managing Pain. Start Resolving It.
If you are tired of the cycle of "Pain > Pill > Repeat," it is time to try something different.
You don't need another massage. You need to talk to your nervous system.
At Physical and Nutrition Ltd, we offer a private, clinical environment where you can learn these techniques away from the noise and judgment of a commercial gym.
Take the First Step
We offer specialized Rehabilitation Packages starting from £145. But before you commit, why not come in for a chat?
Book a Free 30-Minute Consultation with us. We can assess your movement, discuss your injury history, and determine if Somatic Exercise is the missing link in your recovery.
Located at Falcon Business Centre, Victoria Street, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 0HB. Also stocking Applied Nutrition for all your recovery fuel needs.