BACK PAIN CAN BE LIMITING – PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP
Ready to Say Goodbye to Your Back Pains?
The American Physical Therapy Association states that back pain is the most commonly experienced form of pain for Americans.
In fact, one in every four Americans has sustained some sort of back pain in the past three months.
Chronic back pain is pain that persists for three months or longer. This type of pain can be due to a variety of reasons, including arthritis of the spine, aging, disc problems, and myofascial pain syndrome.
With arthritis of the spine, there is a slow thinning and erosion of the cartilage at the joints of the spine which can cause pain.
A herniated or bulging disc may be compressing a nerve. With spinal stenosis, there is a narrowing of the spinal pain that can lead to nerve pain.
Whatever the cause of your back pain, it doesn’t have to be a part of your daily life.
What will a physical therapy treatment plan look like for back pain?
A common treatment for back pain is medication, usually for pain manageability. Your physician may prescribe NSAID pain relievers, corticosteroids, or antibiotics for your back pain treatment. This is fine for short-term treatment, but if your pain persists, these medications can become harmful.
Medications over time they can also cause some unfavorable side effects, and in some cases, they can be habit-forming.
With NSAIDs, you run the risk of blood clots, heart attack, or stroke. With corticosteroids, you run the risk of cataracts, high blood sugar levels, and bone loss. Luckily, there is a much safer and healthier alternative to treating persistent back pain: physical therapy.
At your initial consultation, your physical therapist will ask you several questions regarding your medical history, lifestyle, and painful area(s). This information will assist your physical therapist in creating the best treatment plan for you and your specific needs, so you can be provided with long-term results.
After your consultation, your evaluation process will begin. Your physical therapist will examine you by assessing your posture, coordination, strength, balance and flexibility. This evaluation will be both manual and visual.
When you’ve completed your thorough evaluation, your physical therapist will then create your treatment plan, inclduing education, manual therapy and leading into active physical therapy.
You may also be given exercises to do at home, during your time away from treatments. This is all done in order to reduce pain, avoid further injury, and provide you with the quickest recovery time possible.
How can physical therapy help with back pain?
If the back pain is due to spinal stenosis or a bulging disc, a physical therapist may initiate a repeated movement program to reduce numbness, pain or weakness. Progressive movement exercises like the McKenzie exercises may be included into the physical therapy treatment program.
Stabilization exercises may also be included to retrain the deep muscles. Your physical therapist will show you how to use the right spinal and abdominal muscles before beginning any exercises to stabilize the spine.
Manual therapy and/or spinal manipulation is another technique to alleviate back pain. Short and rapid thrusting movements are done over a joint to reduce pain and increase mobility.
What else should I know?
According to the NCBI, “In low back without serious pathology, recommended primary conservative physical treatment preferences include exercise, yoga, biofeedback, progressive relaxation, massage, manual therapy, physical therapy and interdisciplinary rehabilitation.”
A recent literature review with meta-analysis in patients with lower back pain found moderate-to-high quality evidence that McKenzie exercises in physical therapy were superior to other rehabilitation interventions in reducing pain and disability.”
Ready to find relief?
If you’re suffering with back pain, it’s time to take action. Go for an evaluation by a physical therapist at Rose City Physical Therapy.
A physical therapist will collaborate with your doctor and develop a personalized treatment plan targeted to your specific condition.
With both active and passive treatment methods, you’ll be on the road to reducing or eliminating your pain.
At the end of the road, you’ll be able to engage in your regular activities with reduced or no pain.
Visit our clinic in Portland, OR today!