Physical Therapy Services

Should you see a Physical Therapist for Back Pain?

Nov 29, 2023

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.

physical therapist providing physical therapy for back pain

Signs and Symptoms of Back Injuries

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.

When to Contact a Therapist

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?