Back pain is the sixth most costly condition for adults in the United States. But things can become even worse when that back pain is localized to one area and turns chronic, with the pain lasting over six months.
Lower back pain can be even more uncomfortable than back pain in general. Because of where the pain is, it can be so severe that it can radiate to the hip bones and even down the legs. So what remedies are there for lower back pain?
Physical therapy is high on the list, but before you look into physical therapy, you need to understand the triggers of lower back pain.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
As we mentioned earlier, chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than six months. One also can experience acute pain, which is pain that lasts over moments, days or even weeks but eventually goes away.
Chances are if you’re looking into physical therapy, you have chronic pain that isn’t going away. So what’s causing all of this pain? It can be many things.
The lumbar region of your spine, also known as the lower back, is made up of five vertebrates with squishy discs that separate them and help absorb shock. The three most common causes of lower back pain are bad posture, bad lifting technique and frequent bending.
Injury also can cause lower back pain; however, the most common causes of lower back pain are things people do daily that strain the muscles and ligaments down in the lumbar region.
You also could have an underlying condition such as a ruptured disc in your back or arthritis within your back somewhere. These are things, however, that need to be identified by a specialist, which is why you always should go see a doctor before moving forward with treatment for lower back pain.
Benefits of Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain
The main goal of physical therapy is to ease pain and discomfort while also increasing function and decreasing the chance of a future incident. This usually happens in two phases.
There’s a passive physical therapy phase and an active physical therapy phase. If done correctly by professionals like us at the South Orange Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, physical therapy can save people from invasive surgeries.
Passive physical therapy is focused on increasing movement and easy things such as electrical stimulation, dry needling and muscle cupping. You can also can do passive therapy at your own home by applying heat and ice packs to reduce pain and improve movement.
Active physical therapy focuses on the movement of the muscle. Examples of active physical therapy include strength and low-impact cardio exercises designed to stretch and strengthen various muscles and ligaments.
A skilled physical therapist also may be able to identify your need for more specialized care for your back at your first appointment after trying out exercises to gauge your movement and strength.
You also can help yourself while going through physical therapy by doing light daily stretches for the whole body and trying to maintain a good posture. If you work at a desk all day, make sure you have a supportive chair and your laptop is at an optimal position for viewing.
Basic Movements for Beginners
Basic movements that beginners can do at home after seeing a specialist are mostly stretching the muscles on a daily basis and applying heat and ice packs. You always want to do actual physical therapy exercises with a professional present unless instructed otherwise.
For example, the cat-cow position, usually done in yoga, is a good way to get the blood flowing in the back and lightly stretch it.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Here at South Orange Rehabilitation & Wellness, we take the time to get to know each of our patients and figure out what’s causing them the most problems. From lower back pain to full-on injuries, our specialists are here to care for you and get you back on your feet.
Reach out and schedule an appointment with us today. We can’t wait to meet you.
