Does physical therapy help your back finalBefore considering other nonaggressive treatments such as back surgery, Patients suffering from most types of low back pain are often referred for physical therapy for a month as an initial nonsurgical treatment. Physical therapy aims at reducing back pain, increasing fiction, and teaching the patient a maintenance program to prevent future back problems.

Common forms of physical therapy.

Does physical therapy help your back finalThe common forms of physical therapy include active physical therapy and passive physical therapy. Active physical therapy centers on specific exercises and stretching. On the other hand, passive physical therapy includes things done to the patient, such as electrical stimulation, ice packs, and heat application.

A heat pad, for example, maybe applied to warm up the muscles before exercising and stretching, and an ice pack may be used afterward to soothe the muscles and soft tissues. Physical therapy programs focus on active exercise for most low back pain treatments. This article focuses on active physical therapy and exercise to help recover from back problems and prevent or minimize future flare-ups of low back pain.

Exercise Benefits for low Back Pain

There is a broad range of medical literature supporting specific physical therapy exercises for the treatment of low back pain. Much as most episodes of low back pain are self-limiting and will get better on their own, active exercise plays a significant role in lessening the patient’s pain and improving subsequent function in patients with low back pain. In addition, an underway exercise program reduces the chances and severity of future occurrences of low back pain.

Types of exercises designed to treat low back pain in physical therapy programs.

Does physical therapy help your back finalStretching. Proper stretching along with active exercise will provide relief for muscles that often suffer from disuse atrophy or in spasm from nerve irritation or inappropriate posture. In addition, it will help maintain a normal range of motion. For most patients, it is best to follow a stretching routine that has been individually designed for them by a physical therapist or a spine physician. As a general rule, patients suffering from low back pain should focus on stretching the abdominal muscles, lower back muscles, hips, and legs. All stretches should be slow and gradual, and the patient should never bounce during stretching.

Dynamic stabilization exercises. These exercises involve the use of various exercises and may include the use of balancing machines, exercise balls, or particular stabilizing exercises. Dynamic stabilization exercise works towards strengthening secondary muscles of the spine and helps support the spine through various ranges of motion.

Core strengthening exercises. These are specific exercises to strengthen the low back muscles and abdominal muscles to provide the aforementioned ‘belt of muscle’ around the spine. These exercises usually involve specific abdominal strengthening, including sit-ups, leg raises, abdominal machines, and crunches. It also includes low back exercises, which can be performed on machines or by simply lying on the stomach and slowly raising the chest off the ground. This exercise utilizes the lower back muscles to ‘hyperextend’ the spine.
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