Back pain is a common condition, affecting both men and women. It can affect people of any age, and the pain can be acute or chronic. If you do not take sufficient precautionary measures to get relief, it can affect the quality of your life and functionality in many ways. Physical therapy is an effective treatment option that can help relieve back pain.

Physical Therapy to Promote Health and Mobility

Physical therapy can help back pain sufferers to achieve optimal functional ability by improving strength and mobility. It is effective for treating back pain resulting from conditions such as:

- Degenerated disc
- Herniated bulging disc
- Neurological disorder
- Spinal disorders or neuromuscular conditions
- Sports injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Work injuries
- Muscle and joint disorders

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

For providing immediate relief from pain, physical therapists employ therapeutic techniques most effective for the patients. The patients may be provided physical therapy exercise programs. To obtain the real benefits of physical therapy, the therapists focus on different stretching and strengthening exercises, to help control pain, increase flexibility, improve function, and maximize healing.

Apart from this, there are other techniques physical therapists utilize to help patients return to their normal lifestyle soon. These include:

- Heat application, ice packs and electrical stimulation to eliminate muscle spasm and inflammation
- Manual therapy
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
- Ultrasound to treat soft tissue injuries
- Traction

Using these advanced measures and modalities in the treatment procedures, physical therapists prevent the condition from worsening. Therapists will also advise you on how to avoid further injuries and improve overall health.

Whatever the cause of your back pain, physical therapists works with you to determine what physical therapy treatment plan would work ideally for you. Before starting treatment, your physical therapist may request for specialized tests to study your specific health problem. To suggest the best treatment plan for the patient, the therapist may test for factors such as strength, posture, range of motion, balance and coordination, and muscle performance.

Physical therapy can help relieve back pain, but to get effective results it is important to follow all the instructions given by your physician. Your physical therapist may teach you an exercise program to do at home. So, take extra care to follow the treatment regimen to obtain maximum benefits.