Physiotherapy
Back Pain Physiotherapy in Singapore
Written by Fairuuz Saleh and Shiv Mohan Banka, Principal Physiotherapists at Phoenix Rehab.Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H.Last reviewed 5 October 2026.
A scan can look alarming on a back that works fine, and normal on a back that hurts. That is why we assess how yours moves, not only how it images.
Assessment-led treatment for backache and back pain: lower back pain, upper back pain, sciatica and nerve-related pain, and recovery after spinal surgery. Five clinics across Singapore. No referral needed.
One 45-minute appointment, $230 nett, no GST. Assessment and treatment in the same visit
The problem
You have been told to rest, and it keeps coming back
Most people with back pain have already tried the obvious things. Rest, a heat pack, painkillers, maybe a scan that came back saying degeneration or a bulging disc, which sounded worse than it was. The pain settles, you go back to normal, and a few weeks or months later it returns doing something ordinary. Picking up a bag. Getting out of the car.
The pattern matters more than the episode. A back that keeps flaring is usually not a back that failed to heal. It is a back that healed enough to stop hurting and never got back the strength, control and tolerance it had before.
Pain is the first thing to leave. Strength and control are the last.
Where are you right now?
Four situations we see with backs
- It came on suddenly and you can barely move. Frightening, common, and it usually settles considerably faster with movement than with bed rest.
- There is pain down the leg. That is a nerve pattern and it is examined differently from back pain alone.
- It keeps coming back every few months. The pattern is the finding. What loads it, what has never been trained, and what you stopped doing.
- You have had spinal surgery. See the microdiscectomy program if that is what you had.
Read this first
When back pain is not a physiotherapy problem
Most back pain is safe to assess and treat directly. A small number of symptoms are not, and they matter more than anything else on this page. If you have any of the following, do not book physiotherapy. Get medical care now.
Emergency department, today
- Loss of bladder or bowel control, or difficulty passing urine
- Numbness around the groin, buttocks or inner thighs
- Weakness in both legs, or weakness that is getting worse
- Back pain after a significant fall or accident
See a doctor first
- Fever alongside the back pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- A history of cancer
- Pain that is constant, unrelated to position, and worse at night
This list exists because it occasionally sends someone away from us and to the right place. That is the correct outcome.
What we treat
The three groups back pain falls into
Musculoskeletal
Pain from mechanical strain, posture, wear and tear, or a muscle injury. Presents as acute low back pain, chronic axial back pain, or pain that flares with a particular movement.
Nerve related
Pressure or irritation of a nerve in the spinal canal, producing pain, tingling or numbness down a leg. Sciatica and spinal stenosis sit here, and they are assessed differently to muscle pain.
After surgery
Recovery after spinal surgery, keyhole or open. Movement, strength and function rebuilt in the order your surgeon’s protocol allows.
How recovery is run
4-Stage Structured Recovery
Every plan runs on the Phoenix Recovery Protocol: four stages, with measurable criteria to move between them. You get a stage diagnosis at the first appointment, in writing, so you can tell whether you are progressing rather than guessing from how the week felt.
1. Calm & Protect
Settle the pain and the guarding. Keep moving within what the back tolerates.
2. Move & Mobilize
Regain the movement the spine and hips have lost, and the pattern that goes with it.
3. Rebuild & Strengthen
Load the back and the hips properly. This is the stage most people skip, and it is why it comes back.
4. Return & Perform
Lifting, sitting a full workday, the gym, the garden. Tested, not assumed.
Who you will see
Physiotherapists who treat backs
Louise Yow
Back and neck pain, postural conditions, and the ergonomics that keep them from returning.
Serangoon
Shiv Mohan Banka
Spinal dysfunction and exercise rehabilitation for muscle imbalance. Principal Physiotherapist since 2009.
Orchard, Tampines
Fairuuz Saleh
Lower back problems that drive hip and knee pain. Rehabilitating injuries since 1997.
Tampines
If it has stalled
Rest, painkillers, and the same back again
You think about how you will get out of the car before you park. You brace before you sneeze. You have stopped lifting anything off the floor without planning it first.
That is not a back that healed. That is a back that stopped hurting.
The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same physiotherapist, because a back shows what it can carry over weeks, not in one visit. The first appointment finds what is limiting it. The next two measure how it responds to load. $690, nett, no GST, which is three appointments at $230.
What it costs
One price, stated once
Assessment & Treatment
One standard 45-minute physiotherapy appointment, nett, no GST. Treatment starts in the same appointment.
- History and physical examination
- Movement, strength and control tested, not estimated
- A stage diagnosis against the four stages
- A written plan and a home program
- Your next review dated into the diary
No packages and no discounts for booking a course.
Questions we get asked
Is it worth seeing a physiotherapist for backache?
For most back pain without warning signs, yes. UK national guidance recommends exercise as the core of treatment for low back pain, with hands-on treatment used alongside exercise rather than on its own, and advises against routine scans and long rest (NICE guideline NG59). The warning signs that mean a doctor first are listed above.
What does a physiotherapist do for back pain?
Your physiotherapist checks how your back moves, which movements bring the pain on, and how the nerves to your legs are working, and screens for anything that needs a doctor. Most of the same appointment is treatment: joint mobilization, soft tissue work and exercise. You leave knowing your stage and with a written plan.
How much does physiotherapy for back pain cost in Singapore?
At Phoenix Rehab, $230 per 45-minute appointment, nett, no GST, one to one with your physiotherapist. How many appointments you need depends on your stage and what you need to get back to, and your physiotherapist writes that number down at your first visit.
Do I need a scan before physiotherapy?
Usually not. Scans are useful when the history or examination points to something that needs imaging, and your physiotherapist will tell you if that applies. For most back pain, a scan changes nothing about the plan, and findings like disc bulges and degeneration are common in people with no pain at all.
Do I need a doctor’s referral?
No. You can book directly. Bring any scans or reports you already have. Some insurers ask for a referral before they reimburse, so check your policy.
How many appointments will I need?
It depends on how long the pain has been there and what the assessment finds. Your physiotherapist writes the number each stage needs and tells you the total at the first appointment, rather than asking you to buy a package first.
Should I rest or keep moving?
For most back pain, staying gently active is better than bed rest, and prolonged rest tends to make the next few weeks harder. What matters is which movements to keep and which to modify while it settles, and that is specific to what your assessment finds.
My back pain came back after physiotherapy elsewhere. What is different here?
Nothing about the techniques. What is different is that progress is measured against criteria rather than how the week felt, and you are told which stage you are in and what you have to meet to move up. Most recurrences trace to stopping at the point the pain went, which is the end of Stage 1 of 4.
Which clinics treat back pain?
All five. Orchard, Tampines, Serangoon and Tanjong Pagar now, with Jurong East opening 20 October 2026.
Where we are
Clinics across Singapore
ORCHARD
400 Orchard Road #12-12
Orchard Towers, S238875
NS22 Orchard MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Orchard →
WhatsApp 8800 1830TAMPINES
9 Tampines Grande #01-20
Asia Green, S528735
EW2DT32 Tampines MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Tampines →
WhatsApp 8780 9608SERANGOON
265 Serangoon Central Drive #04-269
S550265 · Lift C only
NE12CC13 Serangoon MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Serangoon →
WhatsApp 8892 4121TANJONG PAGAR
10 Anson Road #02-77A
International Plaza, S079903
EW15 Tanjong Pagar MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Tanjong Pagar →
WhatsApp 8227 7074JURONG EAST
2 Venture Drive #02-02
Vision Exchange, S608526
NS1EW24 Jurong East MRT
Opening 20 October 2026
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Jurong East →
WhatsApp 8242 7340Tell us how your back behaves
When it started, what makes it worse, and what you have already tried. We will tell you which physiotherapist treats it most often and which clinic they are at.
The red-flag list on this page is a clinical safety list and requires clinician sign-off before publication. Physiotherapists assess, treat, exercise, educate and refer; doctors diagnose, inject, prescribe and order imaging. If we find something that needs medical review we refer you back to your doctor.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
