3 Ways Physical Therapy Can Ease Chronic Back Pain
on Monday, January 15, 2018
For many folks suffering from chronic back pain, physical therapy is often recommended. Since physical therapy’s main goals are to decrease pain, increase function, and provide education, a dedicated physical therapy plan can not just administer relief, it can help prevent further recurrences of your chronic back pain.
Both passive and active modalities such as mobilizations and stretching, respectively, can contribute to relieving your chronic back pain. Along with patient education and lifestyle changes, physical therapy can assist you on your path to pain relief and the return of full, pain-free mobility. Here are three deliberate ways that physical therapy can ease your chronic back pain:
Pain Management
Your physical therapist may employ several different concepts in order to ease your back pain. These may include manual therapies such as soft tissue massage or therapeutic modalities such as cold/heat, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Additionally, your physical therapist may offer a multidisciplinary approach with outside pain management clinics who may complement your therapy with other forms of conservative interventions such as oral medication, injection procedures, prolotherapy, counseling, radiofrequency ablation, spinal electrical stimulator devices, acupuncture, etc.
Restoration of Function
The aim of physical therapy is not just pain relief, but also to return a patient to pain-free function. In order to achieve this, your physical therapist may use therapeutic stretching/strengthening exercises to invigorate and strengthen the damaged areas of your back. In addition, specialized mobilization/manipulation techniques may be implemented to restore spinal mobility and thereby improve function.
Prevention
An important part of a patient’s physical therapy plan is patient education. Patient education is paramount in eliminating and preventing the return of symptoms, and will always include an individualized home self-mobilization and exercise program as well as behavioral modification strategies.
Renew Physical Therapy is proud to serve Portland-area residents suffering from chronic back pain. Renew Physical Therapy employs a range of treatments to relieve back pain and reduce inflammation. Our aim is to restore our patients to pain-free function.
If you or a loved one is suffering from chronic back pain, contact Renew Physical Therapy today for an evaluation.
Learn more about how we treat Chronic Pain and Back and Neck Pain.
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