Chances are, sometime in your life you are going to feel some lower back pain. It’s pretty common. In fact more than 80% of people will experience an episode of back pain at some point in their lives. Most cases of lower back pain subside within a few weeks; however, if the pain persists for more than 3 months, it is considered chronic and chronic lower back pain is terrible. It negatively impacts your daily activities. It makes it hard to work, sit, or even sleep. It can be very tricky to get any relief and that begins to effect your overall quality of life. It makes it so that you can’t do the things you love and it makes it painful to do the things you have to do. The physical pain itself, and loss of mobility are bad enough themselves but chronic back pain can also begin to effect your mental health when it takes away so much of your life.

That is where we come in. Where other treatments just mask the pain, the skilled physical therapists at FYZICAL Spanish Fork can determine the underlying cause of your chronic lower back pain and create an individualized treatment plan to decrease your pain, improve function, and therefore enhance your quality of life. The personalized plan made for you at FYZICAL Spanish Fork won’t just cover up the pain it will address the underlying cause of your chronic lower back pain. Our skilled physical therapists use a combination of therapies, including appropriately dosed exercise, manual therapy - which means hands on treatment and physical manipulation. We also use electric stimulation, soft tissue therapy to relieve the painful symptoms you are experiencing. Moreover we use scientifically dosed stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as specific postural exercises to promote core stabilization. All together these treatments are proven to be effective at promoting long-term functional improvements and prevention of further injury.

Symptoms of chronic lower back pain vary depending on the underlying cause and severity of your pain. However, common symptoms of chronic lower back pain include a deep pain or ache in your lower back. Frequently this pain increases with certain movements, including bending, twisting, or lifting. So that rules out lifting your kids or grandkids and don’t even think about taking a swing with a pickleball paddle. The pain may radiate down into your buttocks, legs, or feet and may be accompanied by weakness, tingling, or numbness. Making it so you feel like you are locked into doing less and less. You may also experience lower back stiffness, muscle spasm, or muscle tightness. Yeah, many of you know what I’m talking about and you know first hand how these symptoms of chronic low back pain can make it hard to even get any rest because it is difficult to sit, or even lie down and sleep. Not to mention doing what you need to do every day. 

Now, chronic lower back can be age-related, but it can also occur due to pregnancy, overuse, injury, or poor posture. How you move your body, having unstable core muscles, a gait abnormality (meaning you are walking in a mechanically stressful way), and prolonged mental health conditions, such as stress or depression can also contribute to chronic back pain. Additionally, spinal conditions such as spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), compression fractures, or osteoarthritis, as well as a variety of disc issues, such as disc bulging or herniation, can also cause chronic low back pain.

Physical therapy can help. The qualified physical therapy experts at FYZICAL Spanish Fork can help educe chronic lower back pain, improve back function, prevent further injury, and therfore enhance quality of life. Imagine what your life would be like if your back improved.

If you or a loved one are struggling with chronic lower back pain, contact the physical therapists at FYZICAL Spanish Fork today to get started on a path toward pain-free living.

Physical therapy addresses the underlying cause of your chronic lower back pain. Physical therapists use a combination of therapies, including appropriately dosed exercise, manual therapy including manipulation, dry needling, electric stimulation, soft tissue therapy, and class IV Laser to relieve symptoms. Scientifically dosed stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as specific postural exercises to promote core stabilization, are the key to long-term functional improvements and prevention of further injury. Patient education in the science of pain is also extremely important as individuals with back pain often become very anxious and hyper-focused on their symptoms, resulting in fear avoidance behaviors.. Physical therapists educate patients on strategies to manage symptoms and prevent further injury so that they can continue to function and avoid the reoccurrence of pain.