Spine pain is incredibly common, as more than 90 percent of the adult population has dealt with an acute or chronic back issue at some point in their life, and roughly 50 percent of the working population has dealt with back discomfort within the last year. If you are one of those people who has recently dealt with back pain, don’t just grit your teeth and hope that it will go away on its own. Symptoms may fade with rest, but to put the issue to bed, you need to actively treat the problem. The best way to do that is by pursuing the most effective treatment option – physical therapy.
Physical therapy is incredibly effective at treating a wide variety of spinal issues, and while it can’t heal every condition, there’s a good chance that you’ll find success if you connect with a physical therapist if you find yourself dealing with new or existing back pain. In today’s blog, we explain why physical therapy can be such an effective treatment option for those dealing with back pain.
Physical Therapy Can Help End Back Pain
If you’re dealing with back pain, there’s a good chance that you can save time and money by heading right to a physical therapy clinic instead of heading to your primary care provider first. In Minnesota, you don’t need a referral in order to seek out physical therapy, and since you will likely be referred to a physical therapist or given PT exercises to perform, it makes sense to head right to the source when back pain develops.
The reason physical therapy is typically so effective is because it addresses a number of the root issues plaguing people with back pain. For example, physical therapy helps to:
- Strengthen The Spine – Overstress injuries are a common source of back pain, and if your spine and the structures that support it are stronger, they can better handle the stress you throw at it, reducing your risk of overstress injuries.
- Prevent Posture-Related Problems – Many spinal conditions are oftentimes caused or made worse by poor posture. If you work a desk job or spend some time each day reading a book or scrolling on your phone, it’s easy to fall out of a healthy alignment. Your physical therapist can help correct muscular imbalances and show you how to perform self assessments of your posture so that you can prevent posture problems from contributing to back pain.
- Restore Comfortable Movement – We all want to move comfortably and with a wide range of motion, but our spinal flexibility can be hindered by an injury or in the wake of a surgical procedure. Your physical therapist will slowly work to expand your range of motion so that movement remains comfortable, which will help to keep you active.
- Decrease Scar Tissue Formation – If you are recovering after a procedure on your spine, controlled physical therapy exercises will help to break up large formations of scar tissue, which can inhibit movement or irritate nearby spinal nerves.
- Relieve Pressure – Physical therapy exercises can also help to alleviate pressure points in the spine. If a disc is being overloaded with stress or a nerve is becoming impinged, physical therapy can help reduce stress on a specific area, oftentimes helping to resolve inflammation and relieve pressure.
- Lifestyle Education – Finally, by working with a physical therapist, you’ll also learn how other lifestyle choices can help or hurt the health of your back. Diet, exercise and habits like smoking or alcohol consumption will all play a role in your spine health, and your physical therapist can explain how to leverage these factors to improve the health of your back.
Don’t let back pain linger any longer. Instead, confront the issue head on and get back to moving comfortably and freely. For more information on how we can help with your back issue, or for help with a different physical challenge, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.