Lower back pain affects many Americans every year. It is estimated that up to 84% of adults have suffered from lower back pain at some point in their lives. Several reasons can cause lower back pain. They feel the pain only results from sleeping wrong and that it’ll go away. It can lead to chronic lower back pain.
Physical therapy can help with a wide range of conditions. The primary goals of physical therapy are to strengthen your lower back and reduce pain. After physical therapy, you should have enough function to tolerate daily activities independently.
Join me as we go over how physical therapy can be used to manage lower back pain.
What Causes Back Pain
There are many causes of back pain. Some reasons you may not think would cause back pain. Posture throughout the day can impact your back. This includes slouching at the desk in the office and driving without good lumbar support. Many people live a sedentary lifestyle, and even trips to the gym can still occur. Often, the lower back muscles don’t get strengthened.
Office work, drivers, and baby care are industries where lower back pain is most common. Sitting in the same position for long periods of time can cause damage to your spine. Usually, this is because of poor posture, which can negatively affect your spine’s health. Injuries caused by accidents and trauma can also lead to lower back pain.
It’s important to keep these symptoms in mind. More severe conditions such as osteoarthritis and degenerative disk disease can also cause chronic lower back pain and, if left ignored, can take longer to heal.
It’s common for people to develop lower back pain as they age. Osteoarthritis and degenerative disk disease can cause many types of lower back pain. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis among older adults. Degenerative disk disease occurs when the spinal disks wear and tear, often as we age, but it can occur at any age depending on body composition and fitness. Other sources of back pain can include physical trauma from automobile accidents or sports injuries.
How Does Physical Therapy Help?
Every patient has a unique physical therapy program tailored to their needs. Some patients may find rapid improvement after just a few sessions, in which case the patient may be taught exercises to do at home to help the recovery process. In cases where the patient doesn’t see improvement, it may be required to adjust the program; however, if there is still little to no improvement or if the patient’s condition worsens, surgery may be needed. Physical therapy can be used in preparation for surgery to ensure the body is ready for the procedure. At the same time, physical therapy is helpful post-surgery to increase recovery times.
What do I do After Physical Therapy?
Once your personalized program is completed, and your lower back pain is managed, you’ll be ready to go back to enjoying your life. Physical therapy can be helpful as maintenance to make sure the lower back pain doesn’t return. Many exercises you learn while doing physical therapy can be done at home or the gym. There are many benefits to physical therapy after completing your program. Scheduling a physical therapy session as preventative maintenance can help ensure your back pain is well managed.
Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine
Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health.
Located in Long Beach, CA, we help individuals from the surrounding cities.
We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.
