Physical Therapy For Back Pain
Back Pain Exercises
One of the best things you can do to reduce your back pain is to use back exercises to help strengthen your back and increase its flexibility and range of motion. These are not just any exercises, but ones that target specific areas of your back. While there are many ways for you to go about doing this it is important that but before you start any sort of exercise program for your back pain please consult with your doctor first so that you do not injure yourself.
These exercises will be harder to do if you can not control your pain so this should be a priority before attempting any of these exercises. This can be done most times with oral medications. Also remember that it may take weeks before you notice a reduction in your back pain and that this is something you need to commit to doing if not daily at least 3-4 times per week.
Stretching
Stretching can be done before a workout to prepare the muscles for exercise, or it can be done after a workout to cool down the muscle. By stretching your muscles you can reduce muscle cramping or spasms and this could also lessen your back pain.
Stretching can help increase range of motion and improve blood circulation to the back area and reduce the risks of injury prior to and after exercise. There are basic stretches that should be done by everyone but there are also stretches that can be very helpful to those who are suffering from back pain. If you are unsure about what types you should focus on you can ask your doctor or your physical therapist if you are seeing one for your pain.
Aerobic Exercises
While you should be working on your back and abdominal muscles when you have back pain you should never neglect the rest of your body. The best way to keep your body healthy is with regular exercise 3-4 times a week of at least 30 minutes each time. If you have back pain you will want to make sure that you are only doing low impact exercises while you heal so try and avoid things like running, jogging or jumping as it can stress the spine. So you will want to stick with things like swimming, water exercises, cycling, using a treadmill or elliptical machine.
Water Exercises
These are exercises that are done in the water, you would be doing many exercises that you would do on land such as walking or jogging but you would also make use of flotation devices and weights on your arms and legs. Since you are in the water there is low gravity making these exercises very low impact and useful for those with back pain, joint issues or those who are recovering from surgery.
Core Exercises
These are exercises that work the core muscles and would include Yoga, Plates, and Gyrotonics as well as exercises that focus on the back and abdominal muscles.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy would take everything that you have seen on the basic and advanced pages as well as this page and use it in a more focused manner that is tailored to your condition. You would be working with a physical therapist that will help guide you through exercises and stretches that can be done on your own time as well as offering you different ways to cope with your pain.
