Low Back Pain Treatment & Therapy
Most back pain is the result of years of overuse, poor
body mechanics
and
posture
,
weakness in certain muscle groups, and stiff or loose
joints. Our expert understanding of the spine and
its function enables us to help you regain proper
spinal mechanics so that you can live, play, and work
pain-free again. Today, most physicians recommend
conservative treatment, including physical therapy,
prior to surgical intervention.
Goals
Normal joint movement
Our therapists have extensive training in the mechanics of overall spinal motion and at the vertebral joint level. Assessment of the movement of each of the 24 facet joints in the lumbar spine is essential. Joint mobilization of stiff joints is necessary in order for the whole lumbar spine to move normally.
Core stabilization
A joint or joints which move too much require a stabilization exercise program to reduce or alleviate repetitive irritation to the joints and muscles of the spine. We are experts in assessment of muscle functioning and teach you how to use the muscles necessary to stabilize your spine when too much joint motion is present.
Normal Body Mechanics
Body mechanics is a term used to describe how the whole body moves by looking at how motion is occurring in each of the joints. "Good" body mechanics means that the body is functioning without causing abnormal stress through the joints. Once the physical therapist has mobilized joints that were not moving well, identified joints that are moving too much, and found muscles which are too weak to do the job they're supposed to, whole body movement can then be addressed. You will be taught how to lift, bend, and rotate, without harming your joints and muscles.
Muscle re-education to perform work
There are many muscles in the body which need to work properly in order for your low back to perform heavy work. How you use your shoulders and hips can affect the stresses that go through your spine. Sometimes, we need to teach you how to use your hip muscles properly, for example. We study myokinematics, the complex relationships between muscle groups, and understand how one part of the body interacts with, and affects, another. Myokinematics is a term used to describe the study of movement and muscle functioning.
Muscle Strain
Chronic low back pain is a major problem in the USA, for a number of different reasons. One reason is that many jobs in our modern society are not physically demanding and require a lot of sitting, which can cause weakness and loss of flexibility in many parts of the body. If this persists, movement can become painful and difficult as time goes by. According to the British Journal of Medicine, people who participated in an exercise program for low back pain, supervised by a physical therapist, reported less pain and disability than those who had pharmaceutical therapy. Furthermore, the patients in the supervised exercise group continued to progress over the following year.
So, why do some people who "feel strong" experience chronic low back pain? One reason could be a poor sitting position over a long period of time. Poor posture can "turn off" the muscles that stabilize the pelvis and spine and without these muscles working, the body is supported solely by the ligaments of the spine which increases the pressure on the discs. The deep muscles become weak and easily strained. Without these postural muscles working properly, an abnormal force can be exerted through the joints of the spine when the large muscle contract to perform work.
Poor habits can also cause repetitive strain to the back muscles. Lifting and bending improperly can put an additional stress on the back. Our therapists evaluate the functioning of these deep, stabilizing muscles and teach you how to regain strength in them again. Proper exercising can strengthen and increase the endurance in this important muscle group. The larger muscles of the back can then exert the forces necessary to perform work without causing a harmful force in the joints.