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Back Pain · Movement · Recovery
My Back Hurts — Should I Rest or Keep Moving?
What helps most back pain settle, why keeping moving usually matters, and the signs that mean you shouldn't wait.
Pain & MovementAlso in Everyday Health
Back pain can feel far more serious than it is. This feature walks through what pain actually tells you, whether rest or movement helps more, building movement back without one perfect exercise, when a scan is and isn't useful, leg and nerve symptoms, the small group of symptoms that shouldn't wait, and why a flare-up doesn't mean going backwards.
Inside this feature
- Back Pain Can Feel More Serious Than It Is
- Pain Is Real — But It Isn't a Perfect Damage Meter
- So Should I Rest?
- There Isn't One Perfect Exercise for Every Back
- A Scan Isn't Automatically the Next Step
- What If the Pain Runs Into My Leg?
- Some Back-Pain Symptoms Shouldn't Wait
- A Flare-Up Doesn't Always Mean You've Gone Backwards
- Keep Moving Forward — With the Right Plan
Read the special feature 10 pages · 31 August 2026
Opening feature…
General information, not a diagnosis. If anything here feels familiar, the next step is a conversation with your GP.
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