Back
Click on the body parts or the list below to find out more about your pain and how physical therapy can help.
- Post-surgery Rehab
About Post-surgery Rehab
There are many surgical procedures for the low back including discectomies, laminectomies and even spinal fusion surgeries. The goal of most of these surgeries is to remove any broken bone, tissues or discs that may be pressing on exiting nerves from the spine. Furthermore, bringing stability to the spinal area is critical. It is important that you discuss with your physician conservative treatments first, such as physical therapy before surgery is absolutely necessary.
How physical therapy helps
Physical therapy plays a critical role in the recovery after low back surgeries. We work closely with your physician to ensure that we follow the surgical protocols in your recovery. Typically, the first phase is to help with pain-relief and education in proper movement to protect your surgery site while healing occurs. As your physician clears you for more activities, gentle hands on therapy and very gentle exercises of the legs, hips, abdominals and supporting muscles begin. Generally range of motion is begun and activation of stabilizing muscles.
As you heal and your surgery protocol allows, gentle strengthening exercises are begun along with specific stabilization exercises to rehabilitate your core muscles that support your spine. Physical therapy for walking, balance and spinal coordination are also performed. The goal is to reduce your back pain quickly, protect your spine during recovery and properly rehabilitate your spine to allow you to return to normal activities. Call us today before or after spinal surgery, we can help!
- Compression Fractures
About Compression Fractures
Compression fractures in the low back typically occur in older individuals and those suffering from osteoporosis. However, with severe trauma, such as in an accident, the force can cause a compression fracture in the bones of the spine (vertebrae). There are many minimally invasive surgical procedures today that can stabilize the broken area, such as kyphoplasty.
The goal with managing compression fractures is to stabilize pieces of bone from moving around and allow time for the bone to heal. Dealing with a compression fracture can be quite painful. Difficulty with getting up/down from bed, a chair and even difficulty walking are experienced.
How physical therapy helps
Our physical therapists work with your physician’s protocols for compression fractures. Based on your individual difficulties, we work with you to gently rehabilitate your spinal movement and strength. Our physical therapists have years of training in helping patients with back injuries and will work with you to relieve your pain, improve your mobility, strength and get you back to normal activities as soon as possible. Call us today to discover how we can help you relieve your back pain and get back to normal activities!
- Degenerative Diseases
What are Degenerative Diseases?
Degenerative diseases of the spine fall under the categories of Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD). In the spine, this is typically due to age and genetics. The wearing down of the joints or discs causes loss in normal height of the bony segments in the back. This can cause excessive joint pressures, bone on bone rubbing and increased inflammation. Typically with DDD or DJD comes stiffening of the spinal joints and weakening of key spinal muscles.
How physical therapy helps
While the degenerative process cannot be reversed, there is a lot that can be done to improve mobility, reduce pain, improve strength and improve function. Physical therapy is the ideal, non-invasive treatment that helps to improve spinal flexibility, core muscle strength, reduce pain and improve posture. All of these contribute to less pain and a return to normal or modified activities. Call us today to discover how we can help your back pain and return you to the activities you love!
- Spondylolisthesis
What is Spondylolisthesis?
Spondylolisthesis is a condition by where one spinal bone (vertebrae) is not in alignment with the other. Typically, a slippage forward is found in the very low back at the 4th or 5th lumbar (low back) vertebrae. This is due to a stretching out of the ligaments that hold the bones together or possibly a fracture. With poor posture and weakened abdominals as well as spinal muscles, the increase in the angle of the spine becomes too much over time and misalignment of the bones occurs.
Symptoms can be mild such as general fatigue to the low back, achy pain or severe symptoms if there is compression on the nerves exciting the spine or spinal cord. There are varying degrees of severity. Most fall into a mild to moderate category that can be stabilized with improved posture and muscle strengthening. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary to fuse the area and bring stability back.
How physical therapy helps
Physical therapy helps to bring stability and support to the low back pain allowing the muscles to create more support for the overstretched ligaments. We work with you and your physician to create a program that improves mobility in other spinal areas that may be inflexible, strengthen key muscles to stabilize the spine and educate you on the proper techniques to maintain spinal stability.
Other areas may need to be addressed such as hip weakness, poor balance or radiating symptoms to the legs. Physical therapy can help treat the root source of these symptoms and get you back to feeling great quickly. In the event that surgery is required we will be with you every step of the way to ensure a thorough recovery.
- Osteoporosis
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a very common condition in women after the age of 40, but men do suffer from this condition too. Osteoporosis is a thinning of the bones due to the change in calcium depositing and uptake. As we age, this cycle tends to take out more calcium than is put into our bones. Common areas for osteoporosis are in the spine and hips.
Osteoporosis makes people more susceptible to fractures from ordinary activities. Often, compression fractures in the spine a crumbling of the bone. A lot can be done to address osteoporosis and even improve bone strength. This comes from strengthening exercises, medication, a good walking program and proper nutrition.
How physical therapy helps
Since strengthening is a critical part of osteoporosis management, physical therapists are experts in preparing a coordinated, easy-to-do exercise program to target specific osteoporotic areas. Often, people with osteoporosis will also have limited spinal and hip movement, which increases the stresses on bones. Physical therapists are experts at treating these limitations and restoring your body to a more optimum state.
We work in conjunction with your doctor to program out a specific treatment plan for you ensuring a road to stronger bones and injury prevention. Call us today to discover how we can help your osteoporosis!
- Herniated or Bulging Disc
What is Herniated or Bulging Disc?
A disc is a jelly like, fluid filled sac that acts as a cushion between the bones of your neck (vertebrae). Your discs change as you age, drying out and becoming more brittle. In addition, as the discs dry out with age, the change in height between the vertebrae decreases, causing changes in posture and function. In younger adults, the center of the disc (nucleus) is held in place by many rings of the disc (picture a cross section of a tree trunk). With minor or major injuries, poor posture and strain, these rings can rupture allowing a pressing outward of the disc nucleus. Finally, as the nucleus reaches the outer edges, the disc can begin to bulge, which in turn can rub and irritate nerve roots exiting your spine.
In more severe cases, the disc can become herniated, which further presses into the spaces where nerves are exiting. Symptoms can range from localized pain, to numbness / tingling to a specific part of the shoulder, arm or hands. In more severe cases complete lack of sensation, muscle weakness and paralysis of an area of the upper extremity can occur.
Changes in posture, strength and range of motion can all affect the positioning of the disc and how much bulging or herniation is occurring.
How physical therapy helps
The good news is that the majority of bulging and herniated discs can be treated conservatively with physical therapy. By working with your medical history, symptoms and testing, our physical therapists can determine what areas have been affected.
A thorough plan is then created to relieve pressure on the disc by improving joint function, muscle strength and posture. Modalities, such as ultrasound or electrical stimulation may be used to reduce pain, muscle spasm or inflammation. Our therapists work with you to recover lost strength and range of motion. In addition, we then train you on the correct exercises to maintain good posture and reduce the risk of future episodes. Call us today to discover how we can help relieve your pain quickly and restore your function!