5 Ways To Avoid Surgery For Back Pain
Physical Therapy Provides Non-Surgical Back Pain Relief
If you’re plagued by nagging, chronic back pain, you might be willing to do just about anything to get that pain under control and return to your preferred way of life, even if it means surgical intervention. Back pain is no joke — but neither is back surgery.
Back pain is extremely uncomfortable to live with and can get in the way of you living your life. Whether work or play, back pain can rob you of doing the things you want and need to do. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should leap into a major procedure such as spinal fusion or discectomy surgery! These procedures may or may not relieve your pain; in fact, a failed back surgery can leave you in even more agony than before.
Pursuing non-surgical treatment methods first is your best bet for avoiding the pain, downtime, potential risks, and cost of surgery. Here are 5 ways physical therapy can help you address your back pain non-surgically and find the relief you’ve been searching for, once and for all.
1. Use technology to your advantage
Part of a well-rounded physical therapy plan of care includes suggestions and education on ways to make technology and ergonomics work for you. Physical therapists can help you problem-solve your work and home environments to set up the most ergonomically correct surroundings for you to complete your daily tasks with less stress and strain on your spine. From convertible desks, seating options, tech alternatives, and positioning we can help you make the most of your workday. Besides ergonomics, changing how you use your technology can make a big difference in how you feel. Taking breaks and using good posture with your devices will go a long way toward getting the pain relief you seek.
2. Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is an umbrella term for the skilled hands-on care provided by physical therapists. Manual therapy includes soft tissue massage, joint mobilizations, contract/relax stretching, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, functional massage, manual traction, cupping, and more. Depending on your specific needs your physical therapist may use one or more of those techniques to help improve your mobility and flexibility and reduce your pain. Manual therapy is an important part of physical therapy. The gains made through hands-on care allow your body to move with greater efficiency and less compensation, which translates to an improved ability to perform exercises for strengthening and proper body mechanics.
3. Optimize Your Flexibility
Tight, rigid muscles can cause existing back pain to feel even worse. In some cases, tight muscles may even be the cause of some of your pain. Either way, your physical therapist will determine where you are lacking flexibility and create a customized stretching plan to address your specific deficits. Adhering to a stretching plan will cause muscle fibers to slowly lengthen, alleviating your pain and improving your movement. Flexible muscles are less susceptible to strain and stress injuries. Maintaining flexibility long-term is one of the keys to keeping your pain at bay in the future. Typical muscle groups addressed for back pain are the hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, paraspinals, and the quadratus lumborum.
4. Improve your Core Strength
Back pain may be caused by structural changes such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis. Other causes of pain may be more muscular in nature such as strains and spasms. No matter the cause, the stronger you can make your back and core muscles, the more effectively those muscles can support healthy movement of the spine and trunk. With a stronger core, you can maintain better posture with less pain and will be able to complete daily lifting and bending tasks with less strain on the structures of your spine. Less daily strain (better, stronger movements) equals less risk of reinjury and better spinal health as you age.
5. Use Proper Body Mechanics
Any joint in our body that is exposed to improper repeated motions are susceptible to injury. This is true for shoulders, knees, elbows, back, necks, and more. Another key component of caring for your back both in the short term and long term is learning and practicing proper body mechanics. Physical therapists are experts in the movement of the body and will help you understand not only how to move properly, but why you need to move properly to avoid injury to your back. Your physical therapist will teach you new ways to get in and out of bed, out of a chair, and most importantly how to lift properly.
Choosing physical therapy to relieve your back pain
All of these management methods can help significantly decrease the levels of back pain you’re dealing with, however, using them in combination is more likely to give you optimal results. That’s where physical therapy can prove immensely helpful and convenient.
Physical therapists are skilled movement specialists who can create a customized physical therapy plan in which these various techniques complement each other for maximum effectiveness. Your physical therapy treatments will be split into two categories: passive and active.
Passive physical therapy treatments for back and neck pain may include ice and heat therapies, manual therapy, electrotherapy, or traction. These help in relieving pain, stiffness, and inflammation.
Active physical therapy treatments for back and neck pain may include any stretches and exercises that our physical therapist deems fit for your specific condition as well as body mechanics training. Active therapy helps to increase strength and flexibility and teaches you how to move your body efficiently in addition to relieving pain in the spine and affected muscles.
Are you ready to start feeling your best?
Back pain can hinder your quality of life, but rest assured that things don’t have to be this way. You can find relief with physical therapy and get back to the life you want to live. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about our conservative back pain management strategies and how they will work for you!