If your back or neck hurts, physical therapy can be your ticket to relief.
It eases pain and helps you move better. Back pain comes in many different forms and can affect people in a variety of ways. Studies show that 90% of the population experience spine symptoms at least once in their lifetime.
This pain can limit one’s life in many ways and is an extremely common complaint among adults, regardless of their age. It is one of the most common reasons why people go to the doctor, miss work, or stop participating in activities they enjoy.
Many people have neck and back pain, but it is not always isolated to those regions. The pain can also travel into arms or head/eyes as well as radiate into the glutes, groin, hip and legs/feet. Each episode of back pain can become progressively worse, last longer, and travel farther from its origin. If you don't stop the cycle and figure out the cause of each episode, it can cause an accumulation of damage to the spinal structures. For instance, if the symptoms were addressed early, 95% of herniated disc patients would NOT require surgery. If surgery is necessary, physical therapy can help you recover as effectively and quickly as possible.
Here are some main goals of physical therapy in regards to your back pain:
To educate patients on the principles of stretching and strengthening, which will in turn, help manage pain and accelerate tissue healing.
To educate patients on proper posture and ergonomic principles to preserve the spine.
To accelerate the stages of healing, which focus on:
Reducing pain and the inflammatory cycle
Apply passive modalities only if severe: ice/heat/ultrasound/traction/electrical stimulation
Educate regarding posture and resting in neutral position
Restoring muscular flexibility, joint mobility, and spine motion
Introduce specific stretching exercises and progressions to abolish pain and stiffness to specific regions with high frequency and repetitions
Strengthening the involved muscles
Teach how to maintain the new postures
Returning to normal activities
Create new awareness of body mechanics and daily stretching for life
4. To prevent future occurrences. As you are able to maneuver through episodes of back or neck pain, learn what program is needed to deter relapses.
5. To manage exacerbations. No matter how diligent you are, you are bound to have a forgetful moment, do an activity improperly and so suffer flare ups, but new knowledge will help eliminate symptoms in a couple days, instead of suffering for weeks or months.
Your goal for physical therapy is to make your everyday tasks and special activities easier so that you can enjoy that walk in Boulevard Park, sit with your child comfortably during story time at Bellingham Public library, safely compete in the Ski to Sea, type at your computer without pain or numbness, or leisurely explore shops in Fairhaven.
Whatever your goal, EverStrong Physical Therapy wants to help you live the most functional and pain-free life possible!
