Physical Therapy Benefits For Back Pain

After an episode of low back pain has lasted between two and six weeks, or if there are frequent recurrences of low back pain, physical therapy is often recommended. Some spine specialists consider physical therapy sooner, particularly if the pain is severe.

In general, the goals of physical therapy are to decrease pain, increase function, and provide education on a maintenance program to prevent further recurrences.

A physical therapy program for back pain usually has two components:

1. Passive physical therapy to help reduce the patient’s pain to a more manageable level
2. Active exercises

Passive Physical Therapy – Modalities

Acutely, the physical therapist may focus on decreasing pain with passive physical therapy (modalities). These therapies are considered passive because they are done to the patient. Examples of modalities include:

• Heat/ice packs
• TENS units
• Iontophoresis
• Ultrasound

Active Physical Therapy – Back Pain Exercises

In addition to passive therapies, active physical therapy (exercise) is also necessary to rehabilitate the spine. Generally, a patient’s back exercise program should encompass a combination of the following:

Stretching for back pain exercises
Almost every individual who has suffered from low back pain should stretch their hamstring muscles once or twice daily. Simple hamstring stretching does not take much time, although it can be difficult to remember, especially if there is little or no pain. Therefore, hamstring stretching exercises are best done at the same time every day so it becomes part of a person’s daily routine. There are many more stretches that can be done to alleviate lower back pain.

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