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Here are a Few Reasons Why Physical Therapy Should be Your First Choice!

Did you know approximately 60-80% of the population will experience non-specific low back pain at some point in their lives?? This is the majority of people, making low back pain extremely prevalent around the world. Although many risk factors have been identified including occupational posture, depressive moods, obesity, body height, and age, the cause of low back pain remains obscure making diagnosis difficult.

The presence of COVID-19 has further increased the prevalence of low back pain. Low back pain has increased by approximately 50% in the last 20 years and has increased even more since the beginning of the 2020 COVID pandemic. This is assumed to be because of the increased amount of time people are sitting and the rise in stress levels among Americans.

What about Surgery? While surgery may be an option for you, it should ALWAYS be the last option considered. Most low back pain can be mostly, if not completely, resolved with physical therapy. Physical Therapy is often the least invasive and most successful option whereas surgery is the most invasive with often unpredictable outcomes. Physical therapy also uses your own body to actively get you feeling better, which is proven to be more effective than passive methods such as rest and medication. Not to mention, the massive cost difference between surgery and physical therapy. We can help solve your pain in less dollars and more conservatively overall.

Physical therapy gives you the skills and tools you need to get rid of your low back pain once and for all. Some of these tools include different stretches for your low back, abdominal strengthening exercises, and educating you on the best sleeping positions, foam rolling options, best general activities for low back pain such as yoga, and different types of lumbar support for prolonged sitting. Physical therapy is for anyone experiencing back pain, no matter if you have never been an active person or if you are a higher-level runner or athlete.

A Doctor of Physical Therapy has the skills to assess whether your back pain is typical mechanical low back pain, or if it is possibly pain referring from an organ system such as your kidneys. Your Physical Therapist will be able to screen for conditions such as this and refer you out to the appropriate provider if therapy is not right for you at that point in time.

If you are experiencing back pain, we recommend you stop living with it, and start treatment as soon as you can. The quicker you get to Live to Move to solve your pain, the faster you will get back to the things you love! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions about how our Physical Therapists can help you. We are here to inform you on your best options.

K. Singh MD, G. Andersson MD, PHD, and S. Watkins-Castillo PhD (2014). The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States, 4th Edition. https://www.boneandjointburden.org/fourth-edition/iia0/low-back-and-neck-pain.