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When to See a Physical Therapist for Back Pain Relief
Written by: Andrew Kneeburg
If you're in pain, especially in your back, shoulders, hips, or neck, it could be a sign that you need physical therapy for back pain. But how do you know if your back is bad enough that you need therapy? In this post, we'll get into the details of some of the symptoms of back injuries, how physical therapy for back pain can help, exercises you can do to help relieve the pain, and at what point you should contact a physical therapist for assistance.
Back Injury Signs and Symptoms
Back injuries can lead to a lot of different symptoms. Some are obvious, such as shooting, throbbing, or pinching pain in the back itself. Others are a result of a back injury, but show up in other parts of the body, such as sciatica pain that shoots down one or both legs, or numbness in the arm or arms due to a pinched nerve in the neck. These symptoms can come from a wide range of sources including car accidents, lifting something too heavy, repetitive motion, a fall, or other injury.
Physical Therapy for Back Pain
Physical therapy for back pain can make a big difference by providing a range of benefits that improve your back health. These include:
- Strengthening
- Improved mobility
- Reduced nerve pressure
- Reduced muscle spasms
- Decreased pain
Therapy can incorporate a range of options, including heat and cold therapy, ultrasound, massage therapy, and exercise. If you're in pain because of exercise, you may wonder how it can help, but there are a number of ways that exercise can improve your back pain:
- Specific stretches can lengthen your spine muscles and improve mobility.
- Other stretches can reduce nerve pressure, improving pain.
- Some exercises will improve back strength, providing muscular splinting to reduce back strain.
- Decompression exercises lengthen the spine and reduce nerve pressure.
Contact a Physical Therapist for Back Pain
Though you can try a lot of these therapies at home, there's a certain point where you need to know when to contact a therapist. If you're not seeing improvement with hot or cold pack treatments of 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off repeated two to three times per session, if your pain is getting worse or not improving, or if you're not sure what to do to stretch your spine safely, it's time to seek physical therapy for back pain.
However, you want to make sure that you're working with a physical therapist who understands your specific issues and needs. For that reason, you should ask around or talk to a few therapists before settling on one that can give you the best results. At BIG Physical Therapy, we have many physical therapists trained in a range of modalities to ensure that you'll get the best possible results. If you are ready to get started on your path to healing, why not contact us today with any questions?
About the Author
Andrew Kneeburg
PT, DPT, Clinic Director
Specialties: Shoulder injuries and post operative surgical rehab
Certifications: Dry needling and spinal manipulation
Location(s): Dacula, GA
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