How can you strengthen your back?

What's Up Docs?

BBC

Nature, Science, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 663 Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken tackle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

On the agenda this week is back pain. It’s a condition that will affect around 80% of us at some point during our lives, with low back pain being the single leading cause of disability worldwide.

Joining Chris and Xand in the studio to discuss the science behind these statistics is Dr Mindy Cairns, Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and Associate Professor at the University of Hertfordshire. She explains what causes back pain, how it can be managed and treated, and what we can do to protect our backs.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Mindy Cairns Producer: William Hornbrook Executive Producers: Rami Tzabar and Jo Rowntree Editor: Kirsten Lass Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:07.5	It's like going into an ice path with your hands as the ice.
0:10.8	In 2025, we were here for the entertainment.
0:13.8	Ellis and John.
0:14.9	Have you not considered just coffee, which is what I do?
0:17.6	Sightracked with Annie and Nick.
0:19.4	Stevie Wonder, welcome. I'm pleasure. Loyal Carnar is with us. Want to hear all about Glastonbury. And Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked. Welcome to Uncloaked, Ireland. Oh, thanks for having me, Ed. The winner. I know, still hasn't sunk in. Get the best of 2025 with podcasts on BBC Sounds.
0:40.7	Chris, it's lovely to see you. What have you got for me?
0:48.0	I got my last ever tattoo recently. It's on my right upper arm on the inside.
0:52.5	It's almost in your arm pick, Chris. It's about as discreet a tattoo as you could possibly get it.
1:02.0	On my right arm, in Ariel Bold font, I have the letters D-L-S, and I just had the I for Indigo put next to the S for Sasha.
1:06.9	So that's your wife, Dinah, your two daughters, Lyra and Sasha, and the last tattoo was an eye for Indigo.
1:14.1	So I was passing a tattoo parlor. I was with you and your wife,lly and Rex. We walked in and the person running it said you can either wait for four hours for one of the professional tattoo artists
1:18.2	or for free immediately you can have someone who has never done a professional tattoo before.
1:24.5	It was very exciting. I didn't mind this because in my head, this wasn't
1:27.6	a very complicated tattoo. It's just a straight line. So I meet Ronnie, and he's done tattoos on
1:33.3	friends and family before. He then said he was an ex-Olympic speed skater. And at this point,
1:38.9	I thought, he was winding me up, or he was just a liar? I mean, I became quite nervous. Anyway,
1:45.8	it turns out it's very difficult to actually do an eye parallel to an S. The procedure took two hours. He did a fantastic job and
1:54.9	afterwards I said, look, were you really an Olympic speed skater? And he looked himself up on the internet
2:00.6	and showed me pictures
2:01.5	of him on the short course at the Olympics. It was amazing.
	...

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