Is your productivity level tapering off due to lower back pains? If so, you must give your lower back extra care and attention now! As lower back pains arise for different reasons, you must consult a physiotherapist or a doctor to know why it is happening to you.
Lower back pain is one of the most common problems adults experience. Prolonged sitting on a chair or having an incorrect posture can lead to problems in the future. This problem is pressure on the lower back or spine, which is difficult to bear. So, taking care of posture is vital so lower back pains can be easily avoided. Sometimes these pains subside independently, but sometimes it requires physical therapy.
As the first line of treatment, physical therapy is preferred to relieve back pain. It comprises guided therapeutic exercises with an aim to strengthen the back muscles and condition of spinal joints and tissues. If you are experiencing mild or severe back pain, physical therapy can be an effective treatment to help you get rid of it. Let’s explore how physical therapy can help you!
Is Physical Therapy Effective In Treating Back Pain?
Often doctors will suggest over-the-counter medications or prescription drugs to ease the pain; however, excessive consumption of medications can harm your body. Physical therapy is a non-invasive treatment that will help to improve back pain with the help of therapeutic exercises. Besides therapeutic exercises, it comprises other non-surgical treatments, like massage therapy, manual therapy, and acupuncture.
In some situations, a combination of physical therapy and lumbar epidural steroid injections is recommended. Moreover, for immediate relief, the physician might prescribe pain-relieving medications and self-treatments, like hot and cold therapy, to decrease inflammation and pain and improve tissue healing.
Physical therapy is best as it provides relief from the pain and helps cure the root cause of the pain. The physical therapist will suggest effective tips to improve your posture and coordination. Moreover, it is one of the proactive ways to eliminate back pain without getting the issue to the surgery stage.
Categories of Therapeutic Exercises for Back Pain
Four types of therapeutic exercises are recommended to find relief from back pain. They are:
- Core-Strengthening Exercises
A weak core increases back pain as it distributes the body weight unequally throughout the spine and legs. The core-strengthening exercises focus on building strength and endurance in your core muscles. It includes easy-to-form exercises like pelvic tilt, cat-cow pose, high and low planks, etc.
- Lumbar stabilization Exercises
A strong spine needs strong legs and hips to support the lower body; however, the inefficiency of these muscles can cause spinal instability and pain. That’s why lumbar stabilizing exercises include stretching exercises to strengthen these muscles, improve spine and hip coordination, and help to equally distribute the force among the lower back, pelvis, and legs.
- Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic exercises are recommended to keep your heart healthy, but little did you know that it also heals the spinal muscles. Simple aerobic exercises, like brisk walking and a stationary cycle, can relax the stiff spinal muscles and improves blood circulation and oxygen content within the cells.
- Postural Training
Performing your daily activities with improper posture can limit tendon and muscle movements, leading to back pain and several other types. So, common posture correction exercises, like calf stretching, seated squats, and other abdominal strengthening exercises, can help to improve your posture and strengthen the back and abdominal muscles.
What you can expect in your first visit for physical therapy
In your visit, you must jot down the details of your prevailing symptoms that affect you positively or negatively to your problem. For example, you need to know what is helping your problem feel better and what worsens it. Also, you may be required to show the specialist how comfortable to walk around and the ease of your movements, so dress comfortably.
With your first visit, we will assess the problems causing you pain and discomfort. So analysis will be done based on the following parameters –
- Evaluation of your medical history
- A thorough assessment of your symptoms
- Checking for your ease in movements
- Analyzing your posture
Sometimes, the analysis requires clinical tests as well. So, if we find it necessary to refer you for advanced diagnostic tests, we will do so.
Objectives of Physical Therapy
We develop a customized plan for you based on the clinical analysis of your problem and thoroughly going through your medical history and the movement of your joints and spine. It is an effective way to set your spine and back pain working in a better way by our team of specialists.
As we suggest physical therapy for your problem, we believe it will positively impact your health, especially if you are going through lower back pain. During this, we aim the treatment provides –
- Decreased body pain
- Better body movement
- Providing tips to keep your back healthy long term
What Exactly Happens In A Physical Therapy Session?
The appointment with our specialists can last up to 40 mins to an hour, depending on the severity of your problem. This long session will better emphasize all your problems, thus analyzing all the symptoms and causes in-depth with one-to-one interaction with each patient.
The physical therapist may do the following procedure to treat the lower back pain:
- If your problem is not severe and acute, you will be treated with hot and cold packs.
- TENS ( Transcutaneous electrical stimulation) therapy uses mild electric waves for muscular pains and nerves.
- Manipulating the spine to reduce pain and increase spinal mobility.
- Exercises for building core muscles that support abdominal muscles, pelvic floor muscles, and movement flexibility.
- Stretching exercises to improve mobility of muscles and joints.
With all this, the therapist guides you with exercises to help you lower the back pain with better sitting, walking, and standing posture. For better recovery and strengthening of the back muscles, you are advised to practice the suggested exercises daily for maximum results.
Benefits of Choosing Physical Therapy
This specialized therapy helps recover muscles, spine and joint pains better. It undergoes special identification and treating impairments, limitations, and disabilities. Promoting optimal physical function and mobility is the main goal of this treatment.
When you choose to undergo physical therapy, you will have the following benefits-
- Rehabilitation of injury – The exercise program is commonly used after an injury, such as a fracture, sprain, or surgery. The physical therapist can help restore strength, flexibility, and range of motion by using exercises, manual therapy techniques, and other modalities.
- Managing pain – The physical therapist uses physical exercises that help in pain management. So, in case of any injury in muscles, spine, or joints, physical therapy trains the body to cope with it.
- Enhances strength – The physiotherapists personalize the treatment to suit your problem. It ensures that movement and flexibility are improved and coordination is better.
- Manages chronic conditions – The physical therapy program also helps correct acute diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, respiratory health issues and others. By practising certain physical therapy exercises, one can get rid of such diseases in less time.
Nortex Spine and Joint Institute Physicians are here to help!
If you are looking for an effective solution to ease lower back pain, Nortex has your back! We are proud to be a non-surgical leader in treating different spine-related problems. What sets us apart is that we use advanced technologies and work to strengthen our patient’s emotional ability to tackle pain management and recover from all sorts of injuries. Our philosophy is to provide treatment with reduced pain and enhance movement that supports your active lifestyle. Here at Nortex Spine and Joint Institute, you will be able to get one-to-one interaction with our specialists, who are highly experienced and believes in providing the best treatment to their patients. So, what are you waiting for? Call 972-872-8408 and schedule an appointment today!
