What Does Physical Therapy Do For Back Pain

January 3, 2023

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Physiotherapy And Back Pain

Physical Therapist Treats Your Low Back Pain At Home!

Do you suffer from back pain? Well, you are not alone. Most people will experience back pain throughout their lives, especially as they age. In fact, back pain is one of the leading causes of physical disability, with almost 80% of the population experiencing it at some point in their lifetime. Whether it be from sitting at a desk all day, standing for hours at a time, or sleeping in an awkward position, there are many causes for back pain. Most of the time, its nothing to worry about. However, when the pain is ongoing or affecting your quality of life, it is time to seek help.

When people think about treatment for back pain, they often think they need to see a chiropractor. But the fact is, many back pain problems can also be treated by a physiotherapist and, in many cases, might be the better choice. Physiotherapists focus on improving their patients ability to move and function without pain. They evaluate, guide and educate them on how to stay active and healthy. Physical therapists use a variety of methods to help manage pain and promote natural rehabilitation through techniques such as heat and ice therapy, ultrasound, exercises and massage to lessen dysfunction and restore their patients quality of life.

When To Seek Help

Remember, low back pain can be a serious problem and it is highly recommended to consult a physician, physical therapist or another qualified healthcare provider if low back symptoms are present and are significantly limiting function and mobility. Also, there are a few signs and symptoms that require immediate medical attention. These include, but are not limited to:

Loss of muscular control. If a sudden loss of muscular control in the hip, thigh, calf, shin, or toes occurs, an immediate referral to a physician is warranted. If you are not able to lift your leg to walk, rise from a chair, or walk upstairs, you may have a serious problem that needs medical attention.

Loss of bowel or bladder function. If structures in the low back are compressing the spinal cord or nerves that control bowel and bladder function, loss of bowel or bladder control may occur. Most often, the primary symptom is an inability to urinate. If this occurs with the onset of low back pain, it should be considered a medical emergency and immediate medical attention is required.

History of cancer or metastatic disease. Although rare, it is always a good idea to see a physician if you have a recent onset of low back pain and a history of cancer. Simple tests can be performed to rule out metastatic disease and proper treatment can be initiated.

The Popular Understanding Of Back Pain Is Disc Herniation As A Frequent Cause But To A Much Greater Extent Ligament Injury Forms The Underlying Basis

Caring Medical research: Our paper A Systematic Review of Dextrose Prolotherapy for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, published in the journal Clinical Medicine Insights. Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders made these observations supported by accompanying citations:

In approximately 90% of patients, low back pain is mechanical in nature, typically originating from overuse, straining, lifting, or bending that results in ligament sprains, muscle pulls, or disk herniation.
The popular understanding of back pain is disc herniation as a frequent cause, but to a much greater extent, ligament injury forms the underlying basis.
Ligaments hold the disc in place, and with ligament weakness, the disc is more likely to herniate.
Low back pain patients who remain symptomatic despite tailored physiotherapy are believed to possess deficient ligament strength in the rear elements of the sacroiliac joint, resulting in insufficient stability to permit effective muscle recruiting strategies.

Physical Therapy For Back Pain Relief

Before you consider physical therapy, think about what may be causing the back pain. Sometimes the root cause is something minor, such as sitting with bad posture or a sudden movement that may have caused a sprain. Typically, when this happens, the pain will subside on its own after a couple of days, through conservative treatment such as heat therapy, rest, and over-the-counter medication.

However, if the pain is chronic or gets worse, it could signify a more serious health condition, such as arthritis, kidney infections, a herniated disc, bowel issues, or even cancer.

If your symptoms dont improve within a few days, seek medical help. If your doctor recommends physical therapy, make sure to wear comfortable clothes for that first appointment, since youll have to do a lot of moving around. This is because the therapist will want to measure your posture, range of motion and the varying strength of your different muscles before devising a physical therapy plan.

How Physical Therapy Helps You Triumph Over Chronic Back Pain

Does chronic back pain keep you from living the life you want? This debilitating symptom, which may be caused by a variety of underlying issues, may make you wish you could just spend the rest of your life in your recliner. Actually, however, you can conquer your chronic back pain by getting out of that recliner and scheduling a course of physical therapy. Here are five ways that our physical therapist can use this healing modality to help you put chronic back pain behind you for good.

Stick With The Program

A lot of people dont follow through with their full course of physical therapy. Obvious reasons include time constraints, cost, and inconvenience. Other factors that contribute to non-compliance, according to a 2010 study in Manual Therapy, include:

Low levels of physical activity before treatment
Increased pain during exercise
Perceived barriers to exercise

The problem with stopping PT is that you could end up right where you started: in pain and at the doctor. Now youre spending money on another healthcare visit, plus any your doctor may order for you. Thats what the authors of the Manual Therapy study were getting at when they wrote, Poor adherence to treatment can have negative effects on outcomes and healthcare cost.

However, if you must stop PT, that doesnt mean youre destined for a lifetime of low back pain. You may not even lose the progress youve made.

Whether or not you keep that progress depends on how much carry-through on your own. Sometimes when you stop PT, you stop doing everything and backslide.

If you keep up with the program, then you would likely keep your progress, says Theresa Marko, DPT, CEO of Marko Physical Therapy in New York City.

Dr. Marko notes that you may not see additional gains beyond the progress youve already made since you don’t have your physical therapist there to guide you to level up.

What Can A Physical Therapist Do For Back Pain

Your treatment plan is your road to recovery! A physical therapist will tailor an individualized plan that meets your needs and constraints. Your treatment plan will include a range of both passive and active modalities to provide relief from back pain. Passive modalities are when the therapist treats you with massage, heat, ice, electrical stimulation, and manipulation. Active modalities are when you take a more active role and do exercises and stretches to improve range of motion and relieve pain. By following this treatment plan, youll find that physical therapy can reduce or totally eliminate your back pain.

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Preventing Back Pain In The Future

Just because youve relieved your back pain after physical therapy doesnt mean it wont come back. Many times if the patient does not change their habits, the back pain can return. For this reason our physical therapists as SOHMA Integrative Medicine will teach you proper posture when sitting, standing and exercising to reduce the chances of injury.

Physical therapy is not only used to get better, but to also educate yourself in how to take care of your body. We may provide exercises and or a stretching routine for you to follow at home after the original program has ended. By incorporating these into your own exercise routine youll be able to reduce the chances of stuffing with back pain.

The Spine And Back Pain

Thoracic Spine Pain | Upper Back Exercises From A Physical Therapist

The spine comprises the vertebral column that runs from the skull to the lower back, supporting the body and protecting the spinal cord. An intervertebral disc between each vertebra acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the stress the body experiences during movement, and preventing the vertebra from grinding against one another. Pain in the neck or back is often linked to strain or injury to the spine.

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The Benefits Of Physical Therapy For Back Pain

As detailed in a previous post, we recommend seeing a physical therapist first for a number of reasons:

It may be faster to go straight to the physical therapist after an acute injury, rather than go to your primary care provider only to get referred to a physical therapist.
Its sometimes easier to get the care you need for a very specific back injury directly from the physical therapist.
It can be cheaper to make just one co-pay directly to the physical therapist .

Also, did you know that as of 2007, Tennessee residents are able to schedule appointments with physical therapists without physician referral? This makes your path to care so much easier!

What Does Physical Therapy Entail

During your initial visit, there will be a thorough evaluation of both your symptoms and medical history. We will analyze your posture and determine your range of motion. Afterwards a physical therapist will create a program to target the cause of your pain. The intention for physical therapy will be to reduce pain, while increasing strength.

This may involve exercises to increase strength of your abdominal, quadriceps and gluteal muscles to reduce the stress on your lower back. Exercise such as stationary bike, treadmill, or medical Tai Chi can help improve endurance. Stretching may also be used to regain and improve mobility. Dont be surprised if you are assigned homework as you may be required to do more stretches at your home to improve the strength of your back muscles more quickly.

Physical therapy may not be able to help everybody, some patients may still require surgery after a physical therapy program. Though this is still valuable as the stronger you are going into surgery the stronger you will be going out of it. This can reduce the amount of recovery time post surgery and is often done after surgeries to help recover even sooner.

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If Youre Experiencing Back Pain Athletic Physical Therapy Can Help

Theres no reason you have to live through debilitating back pain. If youre interested in learning how the skilled and knowledgeable team at Athletic Physical Therapy can use physical therapy to get you back to doing the things you love, reach out to us today. Our goal is to help patients reduce pain, restore motion, and regain strength and we cant wait to help you.

Its Time For You To Feel Like Yourself Again

With foot and ankle pain you havent been able to live life on your own terms. Getting around and being active has become more and more difficult as the days drag on.

You want to live your life without it revolving around foot and ankle pain keeping you from living your life comfortably.

Youre tired of worrying about making one wrong step.
Youre tired of not being able to get around like you used to.
Youre frustrated with the healthcare system and are wanting an actual solution to your actual problem!

You dont want to be disappointed anymore.

Thats where we come in.

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How Physical Therapy Can Help Chronic Low Back Pain

A physical therapist uses both passive and active methods to alleviate chronic low back pain. Passive treatments include ultrasound, electric stimulation, massage and hot and cold therapy. Active treatments include stretching and specific exercises.

our office to set up an appointment with one of our physical therapists if youre suffering from chronic low back pain. Weve helped many others alleviate their pain and can help you, too.

Activity Is More Effective Than Bed Rest

When sciatica is severe, patients may find the pain hard to bear and may need to rest a day or two. However, resting for more than a couple of days is generally not advised, as prolonged rest or inactivity can increase pain and lead to deconditioning. Regular movement is important to allow the flow of healing nutrients to the injured structures that cause pain.3Koes B. Moderate quality evidence that compared to advice to rest in bed, advice to remain active provides small improvements in pain and functional status in people with acute low back pain. Evidence-Based Medicine. 2010 15:171-172. doi:10.1136/ebm1132

While physical therapy is usually elective, meaning that it is the individuals decision to participate or not, it is typically an essential component of resolving the signs and symptoms and aiding in the long-term prevention of sciatica.

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Physical Therapy For Lower Back Pain

Physical therapy for back pain and lower back pain is one of the most effective ways to approach the treatment. It can help relieve pain and restore or improve mobility.

Besides being effective, physical therapy can help avoid expensive surgery and medications that carry their risks and side effects.

After a thorough examination, your physical therapist will develop a personalized treatment plan to address your particular needs and facilitate your recovery. The treatment will be selected based on your specific symptoms and condition.

Physical therapy can make an overall positive impact on your life by not only decreasing pain or increasing function but also allowing you to get back to regular activities and enjoy life to its fullest.

Why Should You See A Physiotherapist For Back Pain

Thoracic (Mid-Back) Pain or Disc? Absolute Best Self-Treatment – McKenzie Method

Physiotherapy offers a personalized treatment approach to help their patients recover from an injury or illness. They create customized treatment plans that are unique to each patient and guide them through rehabilitation. Physical therapists focus on strengthening muscles and joints to help prevent reoccurring injuries and future ones.

While the occasional pain in your back shouldnt be a cause for concern, there are warning signs that can indicate it is time for you to see a physiotherapist. Below you will find a list of some of the most common indications of when to see a physiotherapist for back pain.

Choose The Right Physical Therapy Clinic

Americans shop around to find the best service or professional. Thats true whether you need a new internet provider, house painter, or pediatrician. Its OK to be that picky about your physical therapist, too. Several studies have shown that a good relationship between patient and physical therapist can improve outcomes in low-back pain.

Dr. Marko says that when choosing a PT clinic, patients should be aware that there are different business models. The differences can directly influence your experience, so she shares some basics about a few of these models.

Physical therapists treat more than one person at a time. Instead of chatting during the exercises, youre more likely to do them solo after learning how they should be performed.

Physical therapists see their patients once, then an assistant takes over. Assistants are competent at helping with exercise programs, but they dont have the education or experience of a physical therapist.

The clinic is either out of network or accepts no insurance at all. Patients pay more, but the benefit is more time and one-on-one care with a physical therapist.

If you dont like your experience with one model, try another one, Dr. Marko suggests.

Just remember that you have an important role to play, too. You need to advocate for your own health, care, and progress.

Your Solution It Might Be A Combination

Houser notes that while there are three categories of treatment, there is crossover. We may start a person with mobilization and then add stabilization activities, he says.

He also emphasizes the importance of understanding the natural course of back pain. You may continue to have periodic episodes of back pain, but there often is recovery with each episode. We help patients have less frequent episodes or be able to self-manage those episodes if they do occur he says.

This article originally appeared in Cleveland Clinic Arthritis Advisor.

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When Physical Therapy Fails Patients Become At Risk For Spinal Surgery They Do Not Need

A paper published in the Journal of Advancement in Medicine by the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, wanted to evaluate whether early physical therapy is more effective than a consultation where the patient was simply given education on rest, activity, and standard care options.

In this study, 207 patients with an average age of 37 were monitored and followed up at one year. Here are the studys learning points:

At one year both patient groups, those who had PT and those who did not report the same results

The researchers, remember are physical therapists, they note: The potential benefits of early physical therapy should be considered in light of the time and effort required to participate in physical therapy.

The researchers were not trying to say physical therapy did not work better than educational guidelines, what they were trying to show was that physical therapy did provide benefits for many patients. Patients who were at risk for physical therapy failure should be identified sooner.

In the screening process of the study, patients with pain radiating into the knee area and clinical findings suggesting nerve root compression were excluded, as well as patients who had previous spinal surgery.

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