Treating Back Pain

Back Pain

Our backs sustain quite a bit of wear and tear as we go about our day.  It’s therefore no surprise that back pain is one of the most frequent ailments that physical therapists treat.  In fact, the American Physical Therapy Association reports that approximately 25 percent of all Americans experience back pain fairly regularly.   You may notice soreness in the morning or pain in your lower extremities.  Most times these pains can be relieved with physical therapy, rather than using pain medicine.  As well, as our jobs often involve more sitting than ever, back issues can quickly arise without warning.

Since the back has a complex system of nerves and muscles, it’s important to diagnose the cause of the pain before beginning any course of treatment.  At H/S Physical Therapy, our first priority is to treat the cause, rather than just the symptom.  Herniated discs, alignment issues, muscle pulls, and posture problems can all cause back pain.  The good news is, most times you don’t have to live in pain anymore.

How We Treat Back Pain

Most back pain treatments in the medical community either involve medication to relieve or mask symptoms, or surgery.  While each of these has its place, and sometimes both are necessary, most of the time physical therapy will relieve the symptom by fixing the underlying problem.  Our process is twofold.  First, we work to provide quick pain relief  and enable you to live more comfortably – without constant pain.  Once that process has succeeded, we begin the process of long term strengthening and correction to avoid a recurrence of the problem. Range of motion exercises, core and extremity strength and stability and body mechanics are all a part of your recovery at H/S Therapy.  Physical therapy allows you to avoid medication which can often cause harmful side effects, or invasive surgery, which also carries its own set of risks and long term problems.

What is Sciatica?

Your sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body, making it one of the biggest targets for problems.  Sciatica occurs when inflammation or misalignment causes pressure on the sciatic nerve.  Symptoms usually manifest as lower back, hip, or leg pain, tingling sensation, numbness, or shooting pain down one side of the body.  Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, physical therapy can quickly remedy the situation.

If you’re experiencing any back pain, signs of sciatica, or other issues, give H/S Therapy a call and we can start you on the road to recovery.