Most of the patients suffering from lower back pain are usually referred to a physical therapist for four weeks as an initial non-surgical conservative treatment option before advanced treatments including back surgery are administered. The main goal, in this case, is to reduce lower back pain, increase function, and also teach the patient a maintenance program to prevent future back pains.
Common Types of Physical therapy
There are two common types of Physical therapy which includes Passive Physical therapy and Active physical therapy.
Passive physical therapy
It is also referred to as modalities which include things done to the patient by the therapist. Some of them include heat application, ice packs and electrical stimulation. A good example is when a heating pad is applied to warm up the muscles prior to doing several exercising and stretching. After the job, an ice pack is applied to sooth the muscles. Examples of passive physical therapy include: Manual therapies, heat/ice packs, Dry needling, electric simulation, ultrasounds and many more.
Active Physical therapy
This is the place you are supposed to be keen and active on. It involves a couple of exercises to help you regain mobility and function. For most of the lower back pain cases, active exercises are the focus of physical therapy. Examples of active therapy include; Movement based activities, pain relief exercises, low impact aerobic conditioning and specific straitening exercise.
Some of the exercises that the doctor is likely to recommend to you include:
– Bridges
– Deep abdominal Straitening
– Bird dog, Pelvic Tilts
– Lower back stretching
– Hip stretch
– Piriformis and Spine stretch
Physical therapy after and before surgery
There are several studies supporting the benefits of physical therapy before and after a lower back surgery. The exercises and the stability that is associated with Physical therapy can hasten the recovery period. Together with exercising, it is considered an important part of lower back pain patients. Some of the studies show that people with this problem are likely to recover when they are in optimal physical condition.
Unless there is an emergency need for lower back surgery, it is imperative for a patient to undergo physical therapy before considering lower back surgery. I also advise you to, first of all, consult a physical therapist before you think of ignoring the condition. As we had already established, there are several causes of lower back pain and hence theres no better way of treating than first of all knowing the root cause.
