Physical Therapy as Treatment for Low Back Pain

Low back pain, whether chronic (ongoing) or acute (sudden), is the most frequently reported type of pain among people worldwide. An estimated 80% of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in their lifetime.

If your low back pain is causing severe discomfort and is disrupting your daily routine, it’s worth looking into your treatment options. While mild cases of back pain usually improve with home remedies such as rest and over-the-counter therapies, persistent pain may warrant medical intervention.

You can go straight to a physical therapist (PT) for your low back pain. Let’s talk about what physical therapy can do to treat your backache, and where you can go in Maryland for top-notch physical therapy that can help you get back to enjoying your active lifestyle again.

What Happens in Physical Therapy as Low Back Pain Treatment?

Your physical therapist will guide you through an exercise program scheduled over several weeks or months for your low back pain treatment plan. These exercises and stretches are designed to begin slowly and gently and to increase in intensity over time to help your back get stronger. You can continue to perform these exercises in the comfort of your own home to keep your back strong and limber, helping to thwart future back pain from developing.

Your exercise plan will start with gentle stretches to help promote blood flow to the back muscles and the spine. Make sure to follow their instructions in order to avoid overexerting your body.

How Does Physical Therapy Treat Low Back Pain?

Physical therapy is usually done in three phases:

Acute Phase

During the initial phase, your physical therapist will develop a treatment plan to reduce your low back pain. This physical therapy may involve heat therapy, cold therapy, massage, and possibly also TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) treatment as conducted by your therapist.

During this phase, you may only be given passive therapy, in which your therapist does the work and you relax while your painful back receives therapeutic treatment. You may also be recommended to perform active therapy, which will involve minimal movements and activity to get your back muscles engaged again.

Recovery Phase

After you begin to get your low back pain under control, your physical therapist will help you to ease back into your normal daily movements and routine activities. In this part of the process, you will be performing activities and exercises designed to regain the strength and flexibility in your low back muscles.

Maintenance Phase

Once you have greatly reduced or eliminated your low back pain, you will learn how to prevent further injury and strain to your back. Your physical therapist will show you how to maintain the fitness regimen that you started, and how to embed these habits into your daily life to keep your back strong and healthy.

Benefits of Physical Therapy

By working with a physical therapist, you can:

  • Strengthen the back muscles
  • Improve spine flexibility and function
  • Eliminate the need for surgery, or speed up recovery from surgery
  • Reduce or eliminate reliance on pain-relief medications
  • Prevent further back injury
  • Reduce or eliminate low back pain

Low Back Pain Treatment in Elliott City, MD

If you’re looking for low back pain treatment that doesn’t involve surgery or medication, look no further than the Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland here in Ellicott City. With our effective physical therapy services, we offer comprehensive individualized treatment geared toward helping you get back to life again – with no more low back pain.

To schedule a consultation, contact us today at (410) 644-1880 or (855) 4MD-BONE (463-2663), or fill out our online appointment request form. We look forward to serving you!