Back Pain Relief

Back pain in Johnston and Ankeny, IA is so common that most people will experience it at some point in their lives. In fact, the American Physical Therapy Association says that at any given time, one in four Americans will have experienced back pain within the past three months. That’s a lot of aching backs! Whether your back pain is due to an injury or strain working with a physical therapist can restore you to health, and in many cases, can help you avoid the need for back surgery. If you have been diagnosed with a back injury, contact Elevate Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine as soon as possible so our physical therapist can help create an individualized physical therapy regimen to help you recover.

What is back pain?

“Back pain” is a generalized term that covers a wide range of conditions. Back pain can be caused by a lifting injury, poor posture, an accident, or another cause. Your course of treatment with a physical therapist will depend on the type of back pain, its location, and a lot of other factors. Pain can be acute (short-term) or chronic (lasting more than three months), and it can impact the bones of the spinal structure or muscles in the back.

Causes of back pain

Generalized back pain is usually caused by an injury. This can range from a strain or pull in your back muscles (such as bending over to pick up a toddler) to a more serious injury (such as one sustained in a car crash.) As with the onset of arthritis, the condition can gradually slowly worsen over time.

How physical therapy helps back pain

Recovery from sciatica or other types of back pain is possible with the help of physical therapy. Your course of treatment with a physical therapist will largely depend on your diagnosis. In the early stages of back pain, your physical therapist will make specific recommendations to help relieve pain. This can include applying ice packs to affected areas, going for short walks to remain active, strengthening your core, and working on things like your posture to prevent the injury from worsening.

As your condition improves, your physical therapist will work with you on specific exercises, stretches, and treatments. For example, water exercises are a common “prescription” for many back injuries and sciatica, because they will allow you to stay physically active. More intense exercises might not be possible during the early stages of recovery. Your therapist will prescribe specific leg exercises to relieve the pain from sciatica, so it’s important to do these. The goal of physical therapy for back pain and sciatica is to improve your range of motion, relieve the pain, and strengthen the body so you can ultimately return to your normal daily activities.

If you have been diagnosed with back pain or sciatica, contact our clinic to request an appointment with a physical therapist. The pain may be intense now, but our physical therapist will help get you on the road to recovery as quickly as possible.

For more information, Contact us at Johnston & Ankeny, IA centers.