Back pain can make everyday living difficult, from needing to take pain medication that makes you drowsy to facing challenges with completing daily tasks. Fortunately, physical therapy can help reduce back pain and improve your quality of life with relative ease. Here are some of the ways that physical therapy can help clients with back pain.
Less Risky than Surgery
Physical therapy is less risky (and expensive) than back surgery to correct back pain. In some cases, attending physical therapy on a regular basis is enough to eliminate back pain without surgery. If you do need surgery, physical therapy can reduce recovery time and the likelihood that you’ll need additional surgeries.Talk to your healthcare provider to see if it’s possible to try physical therapy before any surgical interventions. Sometimes it can be enough on its own. If not, it can also help you become stronger for surgery.
Decrease Pain
One of the main benefits of physical therapy for back pain is its ability to decrease back pain, even after your physical therapy sessions are over. You’ll learn different active and passive exercises that you can do on your own to reduce back pain at home. Some of the exercises will help to improve the stability of your core muscles, which can help further reduce the strain on your back.
Improve Functionality
Back pain can have a significant impact on your overall body function. For example, if you’re in pain from a chronic back injury, you might be using coping mechanisms to bend down, walk up stairs, or carry heavier objects to compensate for the pain that you feel. During your physical therapy appointments, your physical therapist can evaluate your function to see if there are different ways to complete these other tasks that are pain-free and avoid strain or injury to other body parts.
Prevent Future Back Pain
By scheduling physical therapy appointments now, you’re taking care of back pain that could escalate in the future. You’ll be strengthening your back and learning occupational skills that can prevent future back pain. In this way, you’re taking the appropriate steps today that will make potential back pain less painful over the long term.
Fix Poor Posture
During physical therapy, you’ll work on more than just the immediate cause of your back pain, such as an acute injury. Your physical therapist will work to holistically treat your back pain. In many cases, poor posture exacerbates back pain by shifting where pressure is on your back. Working on your posture helps you to reduce back pain now and benefits you in the future.
Don’t spend another day in back pain without a plan to eliminate it. Use physical therapy to reduce your back pain and to strengthen key muscles in your core. Call Raritan Physical Therapy at (732) 662-4400 to schedule an appointment with our professional therapist.