Back pain is a common complaint, with about 25% of people in the United States reporting low back pain within the previous three months. Back pain often occurs after surgery for a back injury. Other causes include a ruptured disc, osteoporosis, arthritis, lumbar muscle strain and sciatica. A sedentary lifestyle, pregnancy, obesity, smoking and depression are risk factors for back pain. Occupational triggers include workplace stress, poor posture, inadequate seating or heavy lifting with bad form. Much of the time, however, the causes of back pain are unknown, and the symptoms resolve by themselves.
While there are many treatments for this ailment, a person with back pain often bene fits from exercise and physical therapy. For instance, in recent years, Pilates exercises have been promoted to alleviate back pain. While this particular system has advantages, the key is to restore mobility and reduce pain, which means that many other forms of exercise can be just as eff ective.
Regardless of the initial causes, our first focus will be to reduce the swelling and infl ammation, and relieve the pain. Techniques to accomplish this may involve
- heat, ice or ultrasound application
- transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation
- flexibility and strengthening exercises
- instructions and exercises to improve your posture
Because all back pain is not the same, we will create a customized program for you, taking into account the cause, your lifestyle, and your health, fitness and wellness goals. In addition to teaching you specific exercises to get moving and educating you to take care of your back in the future, we may recommend particular sports in which you can participate. This is important because ongoing exercise is very valuable and lessens the likelihood of the return of low back pain.
For almost 90% of people, back pain resolves within weeks, provided you follow your exercise program. We can show you safe and e ffective ways to improve function, reduce pain, and strengthen and maintain a healthy back—for life.
