Back Pain

Causes Of Back Pain

Back pain often develops without a cause that shows up in a test or imaging study. Conditions commonly linked to back pain include:

Muscle or ligament strain.

Repeated heavy lifting or a sudden awkward movement can strain back muscles and spinal ligaments. For people in poor physical condition, constant strain on the back can cause painful muscle spasms.

Bulging or ruptured disks.

Disks act as cushions between the bones in the spine. The soft material inside a disk can bulge or rupture and press on a nerve. However, a bulging or ruptured disk might not cause back pain. Disk disease is often found on spine X-rays, CT scans or MRIs done for another reason.

Arthritis.

Osteoarthritis can affect the lower back. In some cases, arthritis in the spine can lead to a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord, a condition called spinal stenosis.

Osteoporosis. .

The spine's vertebrae can develop painful breaks if the bones become porous and brittle.

Ankylosing spondylitis,

It is also called axial spondyloarthritis. This inflammatory disease can cause some of the bones in the spine to fuse. This makes the spine less flexible.

Types of Back Pain

Doctors and researchers describe the types of back pain in the following ways:
  • Acute back pain happens suddenly and usually lasts a few days to a few weeks.
  • Subacute back pain can occur suddenly or over time, lasting 4 to 12 weeks.
  • Chronic back pain may come on quickly or slowly, lasts longer than 12 weeks, and occurs daily.

Why Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy can be a holistic alternative to surgery, medication, and other treatment methods, especially if you’re experiencing lower back pain for the first time.

Physical therapy as a first step after experiencing acute low back pain decreases the long-term need for surgery or medications. 

Physical Therapy Treatment Plan for Lower Back Pain

To develop a physical therapy treatment plan explicitly addressing your needs, we carefully evaluate your medical history, test results, and any additional information you have provided.
The goal for your physical therapy visits

Physical therapy can positively impact your life, especially if you are dealing with a condition like lower back pain. Goals for the physical therapy include:

  • Decreasing pain
  • Increasing function
  • Learning how to keep your back healthy long-term
Physical therapy sessions

Modalities that your physical therapist may use to treat your lower back pain include:

  • Hot or cold packs (for acute pain)
  • Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) is a therapy that uses mild electrical waves to help muscles and nerves recover.
  • Spinal manipulation to relieve pain and improve spinal mobility
  • Exercises to strengthen your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles (core) to support your back better, relieve pain, and improve movement
  • Exercises to strengthen abdominal, gluteal, and quadriceps muscles (flexion exercises) to decrease stress on the lower back
  • Stretching exercises to improve range of motion and mobility
  • Low-impact aerobic exercises (stationary bike, treadmill, bicycling, water therapy) to increase endurance
Your therapist will teach proper body posture techniques for sitting, standing, and lifting that reduce the likelihood of back strain or injury. You will also learn specific exercises to do at home. Regularly performing these recommended home exercises can help your back muscles strengthen more quickly.

Duration of Physical Therapy Session

Each MOTION appointment lasts 40 minutes, longer than a typical Physical Therapy session. Longer sessions allow our therapists to provide more one-on-one time with each client. 

Benefits of Physical Therapy

Personalized Care.

One of the main benefits of seeking help from a physical therapist is that he or she will not perform a one-size-fits-all approach. They will consider your body type, age, lifestyle (whether you’re typically a sedentary person or an athlete), existing health conditions, and how you respond to different types of movement.

Restored mobility.

Physical therapists not only treat pain, they also look for the root cause of discomfort. For example, if your lower back is stiff, the therapist will focus on easing that stiffness. If your back muscles are weak, the therapist may recommend strengthening exercises that will aid in recovering your entire range of motion.

Reduces the risk of further injury.

Suppose you must do repetitive movements due to your job duties or athletic activity. Your physical therapist will consider such movements and suggest recovery stretches to avoid future back injuries.

Decreased pain.

Physical therapy will examine your gait (how you move when you walk/run) and how you get up from sitting and lying down. This allows them to suggest exercises that will diminish the pain that’s directly caused by your movements. The therapist may also use electrical stimulation to restore function.

It may eliminate the need for surgery.

Surgery should only ever be considered as a last resort, and physical therapy is one of the most proactive ways to attempt to resolve back pain conservatively.

Reduces the risk of falls.

If you have poor posture or a degenerative disease that increases the likelihood of falling a physical therapist will design a plan to improve your balance and coordination. To be best prepared, list possible factors contributing to your pain, including job duties, sports, stressful life events, any recent injuries, falls, or accidents, and family history. Your physical therapist will work with you to determine a program that best suits you.

Frequently Ask Questions

Providing concierge physical therapy services at your home, office or gym customizing each session to be what your body needs today. 

01

I’ve Been Referred To Physical Therapy. Isn’t There Else My Doctor Can Do?

First bump!! This is excellent news. You’ve chosen a good doctor who’s read the research and knows the best place for you to start. Yes, doctors can prescribe medicines and order imaging, but increasingly, the research supports not doing this from the get-go. It’s better to gain some PT first. The back pain can be managed and subdued in most cases with a tailored physical therapy approach.

02

How Long Will The Lower Back Pain Last?

Generally, an acute episode of lower back pain can last up to 6 weeks. A sub-acute episode lasts 6-12 weeks, and chronic lower back pain lasts over 12 weeks. Unlucky individuals who descend into dependency on painkillers can have lower back pain for months or even years. Physical therapy can help prevent that and get you off a life conditional on prescription drugs.

03

Will Lower Back Pain Come Back?

Estimates of having a recurrence in the first year after an episode are up to 80%. Don’t get discouraged just yet because here’s what we see. Patients who actively participate in therapy (do their home exercise program, change daily habits, reach all their activity goals) are much less likely to experience a recurrence. Those who see healthcare as a passive experience (i.e., you fix me) tend to experience higher recurrence rates. Similarly, patients often stop therapy after getting pain relief from a few sessions of PT. Unfortunately, the problem hasn’t magically gone away. Odds are the pain will return within the year.

04

Which Exercises Or Activities Should I Avoid With Lower Back Pain?

The only uniformly recommended treatment for lower back pain in the literature is exercise. However, it’s good to modify activities that increase pain. Ideally, the exercises your physical therapist prescribes should be pain-free and not increase your baseline pain level. Sometimes, it isn’t the activity’s problem but how you perform it. Physical therapists are experts at teaching correct posture, body mechanics, and lifting mechanics. We will guide you through and take it exercise-by-exercise in a form that aids your recovery in a non-injurious way.

05

What is physical therapy for back pain?

Physical therapy for low back pain may include the following: mobilization and manipulation (what some people call adjustments), stretching, strengthening, and specific exercises to improve motion in tight areas of your spine and joints. Dry needling and electrical stimulation can help reduce pain. Our therapists address the underlying movement, strength, and control limitations to eliminate low back pain and prevent it from returning. Learn more about back physical therapy.

06

Does physical therapy help arthritis in the back?

Arthritis can contribute to low back pain. However, while most people attribute their low back pain to arthritis, multiple problems can usually be the cause. Often tight joints and areas of the spine around arthritis increase stress and pain. Most of these problems can be significantly improved with physical therapy treatment. Learn more about the benefits of back physical therapy.

07

How does physical therapy help back pain?

Physical therapy reduces low back pain by improving movement, strength, stability, and quality of motion in the hips, pelvis, and low back, reducing the abnormal pressure on the painful areas. Pain is also reduced by decreasing the pain sensitivity with exercises, mobilization, manipulation of the spine and pelvis, and dry needling performed by a physical therapist.

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