Without a doubt, the most common complaint which we see in Osteopathy is lower back pain; Lumbago. In fact, this problem is most often reason given for absenteeism in the work place in the UK. Lumbago costs Britain a vast amount of money each year and when the facts are sifted and studied, not a great deal is known about it and even less about how to treat it! Lumbago is defined as pain across the very lowest part of the back, it is called acute if it comes on suddenly and is severe and chronic if it lasts more than three months—as in many cases in medicine this is mere descriptive and is of little diagnostic significance. If this pain shoots into the back of the leg it will be described as sciatica.