Is Your Back Killing You?
Physical Therapy for Back Pain and Injury
ARE YOU LIVING WITH NEW OR CHRONIC BACK PAIN?
Upper and lower back pain and injuries can occur in any number of anatomical structures that make up your back. Muscles, bones, nerves, fascia, ligaments, intervertebral discs and tendons weave together to form the back. Pain or discomfort in this area can arise from an acute injury to muscle or bone, or can develop over time in response to repetitive or faulty movement patterns or to muscle length and strength asymmetries. This article will help you to understand the causes, symptoms and possible treatments that you can expect during a physical therapy treatment.
LET’S GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPINE AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS:
The spine, made up of 34 bones forms, well, the backbone of the body. It provides stiffness and structure to the torso while still allowing for the flexibility and movement needed to perform our daily tasks. The seven vertebrae that make up the neck, known as the cervical spine, the 12 vertebrae that make up the mid back, or thoracic spine, and the 5 vertebrae that make up the lower back, or lumbar spine, create a long canal that houses the spinal cord. The spinal cord is made up of a bundle of nerves that arise from the brainstem and leave through channels between the bones of the spine to innervate and carry movement and sensation information between the brain and the rest of the body. The broad and flat sacral bones sit beneath the last lumbar vertebrae and act as connectors between the pelvic bones and the spine. Beneath that, lives the coccyx or tailbone.
There are many muscles that compose the back. Some muscles are more superficial--closer to the skin--and often help in moving or positioning the arms. Intermediate layers of muscles act on the ribcage to help with respiratory function and finally there is the deep layer of muscles which lie close to and help move the spine. Any of these anatomical structures may be involved in back pain or injury and your physical therapist will perform a series of tests and measures to help them to localize the cause.
It is important to understand that while in some cases, a specific anatomical structure may be primarily to blame for your back pain or discomfort such as a herniation at an intervertebral disc or a strain of a specific muscle but often times the underlying cause is due to faulty movement patterns and your physical therapist at Evolve will be evaluating how you move as much as he or she is examining the structures of the back.
WHAT MIGHT BE THE CAUSE OF YOUR BACK PAIN?
Back pain is often multifactorial. Your back pain might be due to an injury or irritation to one of the structures we talked about above but could also be related to how strong your hips are, how flexible your shoulders are, how often you perform certain activities and how well you control the movement of your body during everyday tasks. The good news is, your physical therapist is well-trained to spot all of the contributing factors to help create a comprehensive treatment plan. To help you to better understand some of the causes of back pain, here are some examples:
Muscle Strain: A pulled or strained muscle can result from a trauma such as a fall, unexpected twist or pull. It can also result from repetitively overloading muscles through less than ideal biomechanics. These overloaded muscles may eventually be unable to compensate for weakened or fatigued primary muscles leading to a muscle strain. Symptoms of a muscle strain include pain, swelling, bruising, stiffness and limited range of motion. When you come to physical therapy your PT will not only address the symptoms of the muscle strain through modalities such as ice, ultrasound and electrical stimulation but will work to correct any underlying biomechanical inefficiencies and muscle imbalances to prevent future injuries.
Intervertebral Disc Herniation: Between the bones of the spine lie the intervertebral discs which provide height and cushioning. A herniation of the jelly-like center (nucleus) of the disc through the outer, tougher layer (annulus) is called a disc herniation and it can occur from a sudden trauma or due to gradual age-related changes in the disc. It can sometimes place pressure on the nerves where they exit the spinal canal causing pain both locally and at times, into remote areas such as the legs or feet. If severe enough it can cause changes in the sensation of the skin and strength of muscles in the legs and even affect bowel and bladder function. During your treatment your PT will be prescribing you a series of movements and exercises to help relieve the pressure on the nerves and optimize your movement patterns to minimize future discomfort. You can also expect your PT will be educating you on this condition and how you can modify your activity in the meantime.
Sciatica: Sciatica refers to pain, burning, tingling, cramping, numbness and sometimes weakness that often begins in the buttock and travels down the back of the leg. It is caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve that arises in the low back and travels down the posterior leg. With severe or prolonged compression or irritation muscle weakness can also occur. Your physical therapist will be assessing for a number of causes including disc herniations, misalignment of the pelvis, tightness in the hip or buttock muscles, narrowing of the spine or biomechanical problems before they begin treating you. Treatment may include manual therapy techniques to help restore normal movement and soft tissue mobility, self-stretching to improve muscle length, strengthening to address weakness and education on improving movement patterns.
While upper and lower back pain can be disruptive to your daily life, conservative treatments such as physical therapy are often highly effective. Physical therapists can identify the myriad of factors contributing to your specific back pain and provide you with a rehabilitation program to improve your symptoms now and help prevent them in the future. A physical therapist at Evolve can help you get on the road to healing your back pain. Our therapists do not just treat symptoms, but we get to the root of the cause. We strive to enable our patients to live pain free, and prevent the recurrence of related issues.
Are you or someone you know experiencing upper back pain or lower back pain? Call Evolve Physical Therapy in Brooklyn today to make an appointment. Our physical therapists will work with you to reduce the risk of complications, and help you get back to living your life to the fullest. Call- 1-718-258-3300 or visit- https://evolveny.com/physical-therapy/back-physical-therapy-brooklyn
About EvolveNY-
Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics- There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!
First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
Multiple Brooklyn Physical Therapy Clinic Locations!
https://EvolveNY.com
