Back to business: workouts in London that can help to get rid of back pain

For the past year I’ve been on the most rigorous regime of my life. Every day I’ve exercised like a Navy Seal to banish the crippling lower back pain that crept up on me months earlier. It was so bad that walking, standing or sitting for longer than five minutes at a time was agony. Once I discovered what was wrong, I enlisted a team of professionals to help. Together we worked vertebra by vertabra to beat it. The result? Goodbye to my old sloping-shouldered slouch self and hello to the (almost) pain-free, new me.

The Doctor

The first stop was spinal specialist Alexander Sheriff Montgomery at London Sports Orthopaedics. His diagnosis on seeing my asymmetric shoulders, pelvis and rib was scoliosis in the lower spine caused by a fracture of my L2 vertebra, caused by a car accident when I was 15. Disc degeneration had got bad enough to cause nerve-root compression and joint inflammation. He recommended steroid injections into my spine to relieve the acute pain, followed by intensive exercise. Initial consultation: £250 (sportsortho.co.uk).

The Physiotherapist

Next up: Cheyne Voss at TenPilates, who started me on a daily 20-minute home exercise routine. Gruelling at first, and with lots of setbacks on the way, I made slow but steady progress. At monthly intervals, Voss continued to crank up the intensity of the exercises as my core grew stronger. £85 an hour (tenphysio.com)

The Drill

Pelvic rotations, leg extensions, superman stretches, leg clams, half planks, foot lifts using a Swiss ball and neural flossing (lifting one leg up at a time while sitting). Forget listening to the Today programme while you do it; this needs all your concentration. Eight hours’ sleep a night is also a must.

The Osteopath

David Tatton has been my go-to guru for acute pain relief if my back starts to jam up. He manipulates and stretches out back muscles and his hands have healing power. I now go once a month for an MOT. £57 for half an hour (westlondonosteopaths.com).

The Pilates Instructor

An intuitive hands-on approach — ie grabbing bits of me to keep me steady — means Sally Jones has got me standing up straight, with better pelvic stability, alignment, gluteal and abdominal strength. From £12 an hour for group classes; from £50 an hour one-to-one (nottinghillpilates@icloud.com).

The Sports Masseur

Jon Gee tenderised sore lower-back muscles with deep tissue massage but the breakthrough came when he added in breathing awareness and a type of meditation known as a body scan. My painful muscles simply let go. I have since invested in Vidyamala Burch’s Body Scan CD to play at home. £90 an hour (citysportsmassage.com).

The Office

Switching between a standing and sitting desk has been essential. This was easily achieved by fixing a second monitor onto a cupboard. I take short walks every hour and for 15 minutes at lunchtime. I have also invested in a Posture Stand (£49.99), an adjustable metal stand that means you can rest a laptop or tablet at the correct angle while standing, sitting or even lying down. (backpainhelp.com)

The Cycle Surgeon

We do untold damage by riding the wrong-sized bike. According to Ben Hallam at Bespoke Cycling, mine was too big. I invested in a Specialised Globe Work 1 Hybrid (£300), tailored with wraparound handlebars and a stem riser to bring me even more upright. It’s a dream. Consultation, £200 (Bespokecycling.com).

The Extras

Friends and colleagues allsuggested their own remedies. I tried everything. The most helpful have been a hot-water bottle, IcyHot medicated patches (£8.92 a pack of five, amazon.co.uk) and a blow-up inflatable cushion I take everywhere (£9.99, muji.eu). Sealy’s Posturepaedic zonal mattress enhancer (£204) and pillow (£42.50) have also really helped. (thebeddingcompany.co.uk)

Conclusion: I wish I’d started Pilates years ago. This has been an arduous, expensive journey which is nowhere near finished but crucially I’ve taken responsibility for my recovery and am no longer scared of the pain. An added bonus is that my bottom has gone from flat pancake to pert peach; as my daughter memorably put it, “Mum, every time you used to turn round, your bum would smack you in the face. Now it goes with you”.