Chronic Back Pain

FYZICAL Offers

• manual therapy
• mps - Microcurrent Point Stimulation
• dVNS -dolphin Vagus Nerve Stimulation
• PRRT - Primal Reflex Release Technique
• AAT – Associative Awareness Technique
• ergonomics and posture instruction
• strategies to decrease sympathetic influence

Understanding Chronic Back Pain

There are a variety of different ways that back pain can develop, making the body feel stiff, restricted, and unable to function properly. Back pain can interfere with daily life, whether it’s getting dressed in the morning or working in a job, and may even start to affect quality of life. When these symptoms last for more than three months, it’s called chronic back pain. 

Chronic pain can be debilitating, and may make you wonder if it will ever be possible to return to normal life again. If you have chronic back pain and want to regain control over your body, our Woodbury FYZICAL therapists are here to help.

What Is Chronic Back Pain?

Lower back pain is very common. Most people experience it at least once in their lifetime. For many people, back pain can be temporary. However, 70% of patients require medical help. Back pain can become long-lasting – called chronic pain – if a person has ongoing poor posture and body mechanics, unstable core muscles, walking (gait) issues, or if under stress.

Chronic back pain usually affects the lumbar region – the lower part of the back – however, it can also affect the middle or upper back. It can happen to anyone at any age, but tends to be experienced by older adults, those in certain occupations, or those who aren’t very physically active. The pain may be generalized to a large area or can radiate in specific patterns into the leg and foot. Symptoms can be intrusive on everyday life, affecting social events and the work environment, with a significant impact on overall wellbeing and quality of life. 

With the right assessment, diagnosis, and management, chronic back pain can be effectively treated, particularly with input from physical therapy. The team of FYZICAL physical therapists at Woodbury assess any symptoms and prescribe the best  individualized chronic back pain treatment  as well as best exercise to enhance recovery after relief from chronic back pain.

Common Symptoms Of Chronic Back Pain

The spine is both flexible and strong, which allows the body to move freely throughout tasks and activities. However, as a result the spine can be susceptible to getting hurt. The symptoms of chronic back pain are never the same between two different people. The type, range, and severity can differ from person to person. However, there are some common symptoms associated with back pain. These include:

• Dull pain or tenderness
• Sharp, shooting pain – sometimes into the lower extremities 
• Stiffness or movement restrictions
• Limitations to range of motion, such as flexion, extension, or twisting 
• Muscle spasms 
• Hyperalgesia (an increased response to painful stimuli)
• Coordination impairments 
• Difficulty with everyday tasks

It’s important to always get any symptoms of chronic back pain checked out, as it can be caused by other more serious underlying conditions. Signs of possible underlying pathology include fever, chills, unrelenting pain, bladder or bowel problems, trauma, unexplained weight loss, and more. 

With years of experience and successful patient outcomes in Woodbury, our physical therapists know the importance of getting the right diagnosis before starting any treatment. After all, there is not much point investing lots of time and effort into treatments that are not going to make any difference on symptoms or function. 

Many episodes of chronic back pain develop from sedentary lifestyles, overuse, lack of rest, or deconditioning. Our FYZICAL therapists assess all of the issues that contribute to an episode of chronic back pain, alongside the relevant medical history and irritability of symptoms. When appropriate, we can also refer to other medical professionals for further investigation. This thorough process ensures the diagnosis is correct before any treatment is started.

Rehabilitating Chronic Back Pain 

After a comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis, our physical therapists develop a tailored treatment plan for each of our patients. Our goal is to promote healing and hasten the recovery process, but we also check in with our patients to ensure we align with any goals they may have too. We value communication, and always explain what is causing the symptoms and the reasoning behind each treatment.

Rehabilitation is designed to:

• Alleviate pain and other symptoms
• Correct muscle or flexibility imbalance
• Increase strength, power, and core control
• Improve flexibility and range of motion
• Recondition endurance
• Restore movement and function to pre-condition levels 
• Educate using specialized technologies

We incorporate different treatment techniques and exercises to create an individualized plan of care. This helps ensure we are treating the root cause of the problem, and not wasting time down the wrong rabbit hole.

Our Individualized Treatment Programs

All of our FYZICAL physical therapists know that each person we see in Woodbury is different. No two people ever have the same symptoms, activity limitations, or response to treatment. We want to get to the underlying cause of your chronic lower back pain, so take a holistic approach to our evaluations and assess each person as an individual. Using this approach, we are able to identify specific problems and tailor each treatment program to each individual we see. 

FYZICAL offers a wide range of treatment options, including: 

• Physical therapy
• MPS
• Primal Reflex Release technique 
• MPS
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Joint mobilization
• Back pain exercises
• Pilates 
• Nutritional Health
• And much more

With the right treatment, chronic back pain can be successfully managed and treated. However, without the right rehabilitation, chronic back pain can continue to impact daily life, or even progressively worsen over time. It’s important to take action and get the right help. 

Our FYZICAL therapists are here to provide the proper rehabilitation and prevent recurrences of chronic back pain into the future. It's your life and your choice, and we are here to help you every step of the way in your recovery.

Ways To Prevent Chronic Back Pain

While not every episode of chronic back pain can be prevented, there are some general principles that can help reduce the risk of future episodes. These include:

• Exercise Regularly: One of the best ways to prevent chronic back pain is to stay strong. Exercising regularly, including strength and aerobic training, can help keep the spine healthy by strengthening the core and back muscles. It can be daunting to know where to start, but our FYZICAL therapists are happy to be a guide throughout the whole process.

• Avoid Sitting For Prolonged Periods: Sedentary behaviors, such as sitting for prolonged periods, particularly with poor posture or body mechanics, can increase pressure on the spine. It’s important to avoid sitting for prolonged periods and break up time spent sitting with short walks or even an exercise class. 

• Focus On Good Posture: Posture can help keep the body in alignment, reducing unnecessary pressure on the small joints in the spine. Common strategies include avoiding slouching or hunching the shoulders, setting up a good workspace with ergonomic equipment, using a standing desk, and sitting with the feet on the floor. As always, try not to stay in one position for too long, and switch between different postures. 

• Use Good Manual Handling Techniques: Heavy lifting should be avoided, and instead completed with machines where possible. When heavy lifting is required, it’s best to get someone to help and use the right lifting technique. Without these strategies, manual handling can have a negative impact on spinal health.

• Rest As Needed: Chronic back pain is not a “no-pain no-gain” situation. In fact, pushing through pain can ultimately worsen any symptoms. It’s important to practice “relative” rest which involves modifying aggravating activities and participating in gentle movements, such as walking. This is different from “complete” or lying in bed all day. Our FYZICAL therapists are happy to give any tips or how to rest as needed. 

• Stay Informed: The body is complex, with many different systems all working together to help the body move and stay healthy. A general understanding of the muscles, nerves, joints, and other systems in the body can therefore be useful. The more knowledge one has, the more informed they can be about helpful techniques or strategies, which can be incorporated into everyday life to prevent injuries. If unsure where to start, our friendly team of physical therapists are happy to answer any questions. 

• Get assessed early: Any symptoms of back pain should be assessed early, to enable early intervention and reduce the risk of symptoms worsening. There is no reason to let symptoms fester, or to resolve to “push through” pain during everyday life. Getting assessed is as easy as seeing a local doctor or booking an appointment with our FYZICAL therapists in Woodbury.

Get Relief From Back Pain

FYZICAL offers successful back pain treatment by treating the body as a whole. We address back pain by treating the underlying cause first. We use a treatment combination not found in other clinics in the Twin Cities to give you permanent back relief. If you have been struggling with aches, back pain, or an inability to do the things you enjoy, isn't it time to choose a physical therapist at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers Woodbury?

CTA – To get back relief now, call us at 651-501-2010. 

Physiopedia. Chronic Low Back Pain. Available from: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Chronic_Low_Back_Pain#:~:text=Risk%20factors%20include%20socio%2Ddemographic,and%20with%20a%20poor%20prognosis.

Physiopedia. Low Back Pain. Available from: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Low_Back_Pain.

Health Gov. Prevent Back Pain. Available from: https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/healthy-living/safety/prevent-back-pain#take-action-tab.