How Physical Therapy Can Help With Back Pain
For those who have been suffering from lower back pain for more than two weeks, physical therapy (also known as physiotherapy) from the Ultimate Health Clinic may be a good option to help relieve your pain. Physiotherapy is a great way to manage pain without the use of medication while also increasing or restoring your range of motion in a healthy way. Physiotherapy will also teach you how to move in ways that reduce the chances of further injuring your lower back.
Types of Physical Therapy for the Back
There are two parts to most lower-back pain physical therapy programs: passive therapy and active exercises for pain management.
Passive Physical Therapy
Modalities or passive physiotherapy is performed on the patient by one of our physical therapists. This form is one step in the healing process that is used to help reduce pain, inflammation and increase the range of movement. Some methods of passive therapy that may be used are:
- TENS Units
- Ice Packs
- Ultrasound Therapy
- Heat Packs
- Iontophoresis
- And more
Active Physical Therapy
Active therapy is exercises used to help rehabilitate the spine and back muscles. These should always be taught to the patient by a trained physical therapist to prevent further injury. Your physical therapist will craft a back pain relief program that consists of a mix of the following elements.
Stretching
Everyone on a physiotherapy routine to manage their lower back pain should include a hamstring stretch. Not only does this simple activity only take a few minutes of your day, but it also is a low impact exercise. This means you don’t have to worry about exacerbating your pain. To make it easy to remember, try to make these stretches part of your daily routine by completing them at the same time each day.
Aerobic Conditioning
In order to see long term results, you should add low impact aerobics to your pain management routine. Swimming, cycling, walking or water therapy are all great candidates for low impact exercises. Your physical therapist will prescribe the best schedule for you according to your current level of movement. In general, you should spend at least half an hour, three times weekly working on your aerobic conditioning.
Strengthening
Training the muscle in your back will increase your core strength and help reduce the pressure on your lower back. Spend at least 20 minutes a day completing dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises as prescribed by your physical therapist to help reduce your back pain. Make sure that you take the time to perform each move correctly for the best results and to prevent additional injury to your lower spine.
How We Can Help
Every patient, no matter how busy, should be able to complete a full lower back pain relief regimen and see positive results in as early as 30 days. If you are ready to get rid of lower back pain, give Ultimate Health Clinic a call at 905-251-0162 to set up an appointment for an evaluation.
