Low back pain is a very common problem that most of us have experienced in our life. It can range from just some irritation in the low back area to a full-blown debilitating pain which hampers our daily routine.
This problem can be acute or immediate due to some stress like lifting heavy weight or a jerk while riding a bike. It can also be chronic or long term which builds up due to multiple events of irregular stresses on the spine like bad posture or work-related stress like riding on bike 20 kms everyday.
Furthermore, most commonly seen are acute on chronic episodes in which the person has some irritation or pain in his back since years but a certain event in short term increases the pain acutely.
Here are 5 ways physiotherapy can help you!
1. Pain relief: Pain can cause significant changes in the patient’s daily routine. Usually, patients come to a physiotherapist when the pain becomes unbearable for them or when the pain limits their daily activities. As exercises cannot be started directly when the pain is unbearable, we try to reduce the pain as soon as possible. Some commonly used treatments are:
- Interferential Therapy (IFT)
- LASER
- Heat or Cold Therapy
- Shockwave Therapy
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
2. Posture Correction: Incorrect posture plays an important role in back pain. Slouching while sitting, standing incorrectly and even how you sleep contributes to back pain. Over time, poor posture can cause changes in the muscles like tightness and weakness which causes increased pressure on your spine finally leading to pain.
We assess your posture and give you recommendations for your posture to become as close to ideal posture as possible. These small adjustments can bring about a huge difference in taking pressure off your back and prevent future pain.
3. Stretching and Mobility: Flexibility of the muscles around the back and even far away can cause pain in the back. Mobility of the joints around the back dictates the forces that come on the spine during daily activities.
Along with the pain relief and the education about good posture, some stretches are given to loosen the muscles around the painful area. This helps relieve the pain by allowing free movement of the spine in full range. It gives a sense of relaxation to the patient too.
4. Strengthening: A key reason behind back pain is because the muscles that support your spine are weak or imbalanced. One of the major reasons behind this is the lack of proper knowledge regarding which muscles need to be strong to support your spine. Core is the central part of the body on which our arms and our legs are attached. The main function of the core is to give stability while the arms and the legs move. Think of it like standing on the floor. If the floor is stable it is easy to stand. But when the floor itself starts moving, it becomes a lot harder to stand on it. Same is the case with the movement of limbs on the stable core.
To achieve this, many people do core exercises like crunches, sit-ups and russian twists which mainly trains your Rectus abdominis or Obliques which have a lesser role in supporting your spine. The important muscle which actually needs to be strengthened is the Transversus abdominis muscle. This muscle acts like a corset or a belt and stabilises your spine by holding it tightly. Apart from this, your diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, glutes and your back muscles are also a part of your core and hence need to strengthened. We prescribe specific exercises in a specific tailored program for you. Consistent practice of these exercises will increase your core strength and endurance which will reduce your back pain and prevent it afterwards.
Along with strength and endurance training, the control training is also a very important aspect. The controlled movement of the core and it’s coordination with the limb movements needs to be trained.
5. Ergonomic Advice: All of this treatment will be short term unless you change your wrong posture while doing daily activities like house work and during your job. We observe and then prescribe modifications in the alignment of your body while doing these activities. A small change like a more ergonomic chair with proper lumbar support can reduce your chances of back pain. When you strictly follow these measures, it will give you long term prevention against back pain.
Back pain can feel like a lot, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right physiotherapy treatments, you can relieve your pain, make your body strong and flexible and prevent future discomfort. We offer a holistic approach to managing and preventing back pain. Don’t wait for back pain to disrupt your life. Take action today and prevent back pain.
Dr. Pradyot Gokhale (PT)
Team Rehab Station
