Chronic Back Pain

Get Rid of Your Chronic Back Pain

Looking to Rid Yourself of Chronic Back Pain? Here’s 5 Reasons You Should Contact A Physical Therapist To Help

Do You Want To End Your Chronic Back Pain? Physical Therapy is Your Answer!

Do you struggle with chronic back pain that you fear will always keep you from living the life you want? Well, the good news is that you are not alone. 16 million adults experience persistent or chronic back pain in a study done by Georgetown University. That’s 8 percent of all adults in this country who are in a constant battle with this pain.

This debilitating symptom, which may be caused by a variety of underlying issues, may make you wish you could just spend the rest of your days sitting idly in your recliner watching your life pass you by.

But, however tempting this may be, you can conquer your chronic back pain by getting out of that recliner and talking to your doctor, and scheduling a course of physical therapy. Still a little lost, confused, or wondering how physical therapy can initiate healthy and long lasting relief? Here are five ways that our physical therapist can use this healing modality to help you put chronic back pain behind you for good.

1. You Can Increase Your Overall Back Strength And Resistance

A good rule of thumb to adhere to when seeking treatment for chronic back pain is that A weak back is more susceptible to pain.

Muscles that don’t properly support the back and spinal column leave you with postural problems that lead to chronic musculoskeletal strain, pinched nerves, and an increased vulnerability to acute injuries. Weak back muscles are also more likely to become easily stressed and strained, leading to their default state being inflamed, stiff and painful.

Physical therapy exercises designed to increase the strength of these muscles can provide the back with the support it needs. You’ll not only stand with a straighter posture, but you’ll experience less constant discomfort and protect your body from future injuries.

2. Your Body’s Flexibility Can Skyrocket

Where the human back is concerned, pain and stiffness often go hand in hand. Osteoarthritis of the spinal joints, hips, or pelvis have been known to cause chronic pain. Muscles and connective tissues in the back reflexively tighten up in the presence of pain, which only makes you stiffer and creates unnecessary tension and pain. Your physical therapist can help you utilize stretches and other exercises that will lengthen those muscles, loosening them up and increasing the motion in your back that can be completed pain-free.

3. You Can Safely and Easily Decrease Inflammation

You may have heard the phrase “chronic inflammation” in relation to chronic back pain. This is no mistake as the two often mean the same thing.

Arthritis, autoimmune disorders, facet joint strain, tendinitis, and other such problems can leave you in constant discomfort. A physical therapist can figure out what kinds of exercises are best for you in order to increase circulation and reduce inflammation in the most gentle and natural way possible.

If this doesn’t work for you, other options may include inflammation-busting techniques such as massage therapy, cold laser therapy, heat applications, cold applications, and ultrasound therapy to increase blood flow and help rid the tissues of inflammatory substances.

4. With Physical Therapy, A Less Painful Lifestyle Is A Reality

Pain is always the bogeyman when we talk about chronic inflammation, however, you might be your back’s worst enemy without even realizing it. The choices we make in regards to our lifestyle may have a closer link to back pain than we initially realize.

Sleeping on the wrong kind of mattress, carrying too much weight, doing a lot of awkward twisting or bending in your workplace — these and other innocent errors could be the answer to the ongoing problems for your back. A physical therapist can recognize these problems and suggest the necessary and at times very simple fixes to provide relief.

5. Physical Therapy Can Improve Your Brain’s Pain Response

Physical therapy may do plenty of good for diagnosed conditions, but what do you do if your chronic pain is idiopathic — stemming from no obvious source? Even in this situation, a physical therapist can help you. Physical therapists can employ “brain rewiring” through mindful awareness techniques that enable chronic pain sufferers to stay calm in the face of their symptoms. Since anxiety is known to have a significant effect on your back pain, you can learn how to minimize the pain signals’ effects on your psyche, thus allowing them to fade into the background.

It All Starts With You

Physical therapy can do wonders for your aching back, but it can only work its miracles if you’re willing to take that first essential step in ridding yourself of your debilitating pain. Contact our physical therapist today and schedule an initial appointment!

Sources: