The Benefits of Physical Therapy for Chronic Lower Back Pain

Back pain can have a serious impact on your daily routine, but seeking treatment may greatly improve your quality of life. If you’re looking for lower back pain relief, your doctor or chiropractor may advise the use of physical therapy before considering more invasive treatments. For many back pain patients, physical therapy can offer several benefits.

Strengthen Core and Back Muscles

In many cases, lower back pain is the result of long-term poor posture. People have a tendency to slouch when standing or sitting for long periods. Over time, this habit of not using your core and back muscles to maintain proper posture can lead to back pain symptoms. Often, the person’s posture will continue to worsen, and their muscles will weaken even further. Physical therapy uses several exercises to help patients strengthen the muscles of their core and back, which can right their bad posture and reduce their lower back pain symptoms.

Improve Range of Motion

Once a person develops lower back pain, he may begin restricting his movement to avoid triggering his symptoms. This lack of use can cause muscles in the back to atrophy and tighten. During your physical therapy treatment, your physical therapist will take you through a range of exercises to help your muscles relax and regain full range of motion. With the use of proper stretching, you can also reduce muscle spasms in your back that may be contributing to your symptoms. Your physical therapist will probably advise the use of at-home stretches as well to help you find relief.

Avoid Spine Surgery

Luckily, non-invasive treatments such as physical therapy are often successful for relieving lower back pain. Spine surgery is a serious procedure that should only be considered after other therapies have failed to offer you relief. Your doctor will probably prescribe at least a month of physical therapy to address your lower back pain symptoms.