Physiotherapy treatments are a popular option for many people seeking relief from back pain. If you’re one of the many living with chronic lower back pain, physiotherapy may be an option to consider. Learn more about physiotherapy and what it can offer in treating your back pain!
What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapists focus on the whole body and see how everything is connected, not just your muscles and bones, but your body’s nervous system, circulatory and respiratory systems as well.
Physiotherapists often spend time with their patients to understand the nature of their symptoms, where they are coming from, and what aggravates them or causes relief. They also work with patients to create a physiotherapy plan specific to that person.
There is a wide variety of physiotherapy treatments that could be beneficial in treating chronic lower back pain.
Treatment Plans Designed for the Needs of Each Individual
Our physiotherapists begin by having a conversation with you to learn the history of your pain. This begins with discussing when the pain started and what caused it (if known). Our physiotherapists then review your medical records, any formalized diagnosis, and any other information that may help create a starting-off point.
We conduct a detailed examination of your spine and lower back. We also look at the health of other body systems to ensure that they are not influencing your pain levels.
Chronic lower back pain is a very real obstacle that can often take a series of treatments to resolve. Physiotherapy treatments for lower back pain rely on a thorough assessment and understanding of the root cause. A complete assessment of your injury is necessary for us to tackle the problem and get you on the road to recovery.
Manual/Manipulative Therapy
When you engage in manual therapy, your body’s natural ability to move and maneuver through positions is encouraged. The process of manual therapy can help improve the range of motion for joints that are stuck or frozen.
Acupuncture & Gunn IMS
Intramuscular stimulation (IMS), like acupuncture, is a centuries-old practice that helps promote blood flow and improved nerve communication. By using needles to stimulate fibers deep in the low back muscles, blood flow can be improved and nerve communication promoted.
Both acupuncture and Gunn IMS are used to help our patients with relief from pain.
Habit Training
In most cases, improving posture would help to reduce the symptoms of lower back pain. Physiotherapists help with this through strategies for improved sitting and standing postures and working to alleviate your symptoms and improve mobility in the long run.
The physiotherapist would assist you in improving your posture and getting back to good movement patterns. This is done by teaching proper posture for different tasks and helping you control your core muscles, and promote healing while relieving pain.
Strength-Building Exercises
Specific exercises to improve strength in the core muscles have been proven to help make chronic pain less severe. This can be intimidating and formidable for someone with recent conditions that caused the pain (like a back injury from playing sports) and is an area where working with an experienced and knowledgeable physiotherapist becomes very beneficial.
Physiotherapists will first assess your level of flexibility, range of motion, and the causes behind symptom flare-ups. After assessing your condition, physiotherapists will provide you with a program that is tailored just for you, focusing on core muscle groups which will improve stability and help with good posture. Call us at 905-796-6662 to book an appointment today or email us at info@physiotherapyfirst.ca.
