Can PT Solve My Chronic Back Pain?
Leave a CommentChronic low back pain is extremely prevalent and the leading cause of disability in industrialized countries. Chronic low back pain is defined as pain lasting more than three months. 10-20% of those who experience low back pain develop chronic low back pain, and there are numerous reasons for this. Many commonly prescribed treatments such as supportive back braces, electrical stimulation, acupuncture, injections, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications only provide short-term relief. They have no evidence to support their use for long-term management.
Many of those treatment techniques are ineffective because chronic pain is incredibly complex. It is well documented that chronic pain is no longer just a soft tissue or joint problem but a complicated problem with biological and psychological factors.2 Over the last few decades, the medical community has gained a better understanding of chronic pain. It has been recognized that the brain’s processing abilities play a significant role in processing pain. Changes in the nervous system can result in our body sensing pain more frequently and becoming more sensitive to different inputs.2 These changes may also affect a person’s behavior, where one will avoid activity due to fear that they will hurt or harm themselves.2 Since chronic pain is so complicated; it’s no wonder why passive treatments like those mentioned previously will have minimal success in managing chronic pain.
What the research does suggest is beneficial for chronic low back pain is physical therapy, education, and structured exercise. Structured exercise programs consisting of a wide variety of exercise methods such as strength, aerobic, and flexibility training have been shown to have significant improvements in pain, physical function, sleep, fatigue levels, depression, mood anxiety, and inflammatory blood markers in both the short and long term.3 The evidence also suggests that a combination of manual therapy (joint or soft tissue mobilization) and exercise is better for treating low back pain than manual therapy or exercise alone. Your physical therapist will help determine the best form, frequency, and duration of your exercise program and design a program that helps address your deficits and meet your long-term goals. There is no protocol for back pain, and the research suggests that individualized and supervised exercise programs are most beneficial in addressing these chronic issues. They will also educate you on the benefits of adhering to a structured program and about the complicated nature of pain in an easy way for you to understand.
Physical Therapy Can Help
If you have more questions about how to manage your low back pain, please contact your local Athletico Physical Therapy clinic and schedule a free assessment. Free Assessments are available in-clinic and virtually through our Telehealth platform.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
References:
1. Maher, C., 2004. Effective physical treatment for chronic low back pain. Orthopedic Clinics of North America, 35(1), pp.57-64.
2. Lowu, A., Et al. 2016. Know Pain, Know Gain? A Perspective on Pain Neuroscience Education in Physical Therapy. Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 46 (3), 131-134.
3. Ambrose KR, Golightly YM. Physical exercise as non-pharmacological treatment of chronic pain: Why and when. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2015;29(1):120-130. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2015.04.022
