You find yourself with an ache, twinge, or pain in your low back, and you wonder what your next move is?
Common first steps that you could take to treat low-back pain include: Physician, Physical Therapist, and “let’s ignore it.”
1. Orthopedic Physician
Your first step might be to visit a physician, who will offer prescription pain relievers and use an X-ray or MRI to diagnose the extent of the injury.
From there, you’ll probably have to wait several weeks to see how your back pain responds before progressing to physical therapy.
2. Physical Therapist
Whether you begin physical therapy through a doctor referral or direct access, your treatment will include learning of self-management strategies and improving strength, flexibility and neuromuscular function.
3. Ignore the pain
If you are lucky and your condition is not severe, you could wait to see if the pain resolves itself on its own. You always have the option to seek medical or therapeutic intervention or to learn strategies on your own to help prevent injuries in the future.
The Effectiveness of Physical Therapy for Treating Low-Back Pain
According to a 2015 study, patients who received early physical therapy intervention had:
- Decreased likelihood of referral for advanced imaging (X-ray, MRI)
- Decreased incidence of lumbar spine surgery
- Decreased likelihood of prescription for opioids
Approximately 60% experienced lower healthcare utilization costs associated with their low back pain, and better pain/functional measures than those delaying physical therapy intervention.
During your initial evaluation, your physical therapist will:
- identify activities that exacerbate pain
- analyze movement patterns, movement preference, and compensatory patterns
- discuss and set a treatment plan with goals for your recovery
During your follow-up visits, you can expect a combination of strengthening exercises for multiple muscle groups, flexibility training, and improvement of biomechanics associated with current and desired tasks/activities. It’s important to note that treatment plans are specifically tailored to each patient depending on the examination and evaluation.
If you’re suffering from low-back pain, contact your local SET Physical Therapy today to consult with one of our expert physical therapists and learn more about how we can help you return to living life your way.
