Lower back pain is the nemesis of many. That familiar ache can limit time spent working, relaxing, and enjoying life. It can lead to irritability and a whole host of other health problems. And, yet, it’s surprisingly common.
The World Health Organization estimates that in the United States, 149 million days of work are lost due to low back pain. Back pain is the leading cause of inactivity and loss of work, and it appears in 60 to 70 percent of people in industrialized nations.
If you’re experiencing this type of pain, you know how important it is to find relief. Fortunately, a qualified physical therapist can guide you towards a pain-free life. Here are some ways that we can help, and reasons to call a Body Gears location today.
What Is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy includes treatments that focus on the management of disabilities, healing of injuries, and pursuit of maximum physical performance. It helps to alleviate lower back pain and bring about restored function and movement. It is performed by trained physical therapists who are knowledgeable in the evaluation and conservative management of orthopedic, neurologic, and cardiovascular conditions.
Body Gears Physical Therapy
Classic physical therapy divides pain management into active and passive treatment techniques. The active techniques involve watching you do exercises while the passive treatments usually involve something electrical. At Body Gears, we take a different approach.
Using a three-pronged philosophy, we get to the root of our patients’ problems and treat not just the painful part, but any parts not functioning the way they should and contributing to the problem. Our philosophy involves identifying and categorizing from your very first visit any:
- Mechanical restrictions
- Neuromuscular deficits
- Motor control impairments
What this means is we first make sure your joints and tissues have the mechanical ability to move in the way they were designed to move. If your muscles, fascia, scar tissue, or joints don’t have the capacity to move, then soft tissue and joint mobilization will restore your body’s capacity for movement.
Next, you can’t strengthen a muscle if it won’t even turn on. Each muscle requires the neuromuscular components of activation, strength, and endurance before it can carry out any meaningful exercise or task. Our therapists are highly trained in a variety of cueing techniques to ensure the right muscles fire at the right time to avoid or remedy any compensation patterns.
Finally, it’s easy to think the goal of physical therapy is to eliminate pain. At Body Gears, we don’t rest until you’re back to doing the activities you care about in a safe and efficient way. Motor control training means guiding the postures and movement patterns your body defaults to when executing different functional activities. Not only will you get to experience pain-free movement, but you’ll be preventing a future relapse.
What to Expect During Your First Visit
When you first visit our clinic, your therapist will ask you several questions about your general health, medical history, and back pain story. Having a comprehensive understanding of your physical wellness will help your therapist provide you with the best treatment plan possible so that you see long-lasting results as quickly as possible.
Your therapist will then take you through a thorough examination. Depending on your symptoms, your physical therapist may assess your strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and neural integrity. This may include feeling your back and surrounding tissues, as well as a visual examination of your posture and movement patterns.
Now that you no longer need a prescription for physical therapy in Illinois or California, you may also begin treatment on your mechanical restrictions and learn exercises and techniques to perform at home to minimize your pain. Home exercises are also designed for avoiding re-injury, lessening strain, and speeding up your recovery time. Your physical therapist will undoubtedly spend a great deal of time educating you about the source of your pain, relevant anatomy and physiology in terms you can understand, and about useful pain management strategies.
When you’ve had enough of ignoring or masking your pain, call one of our conveniently located clinics in Chicago – Lincoln Park, Oak Brook, Oak Park, San Diego, St. Louis, Wheaton, or Winnetka to fix the problem and get back to the good life.
Written by: Dr. Julia Melanson, PT, DPT
Edited by: April Oury, PT, MSPT, IOC, CFMT, FAAOMPT, Founder
As always, consult with your Licensed Physical Therapist for individualized advice. For those in Illinois, visit your PT immediately without a prescription or referral.
Give us a call at (877) 709-1090 for more information or fill out the contact us form and we will contact you.
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