Targeted Relief: Physiotherapy Exercises to Help Lower Back Pain
For weeks, Allison was dealing with sharp, shooting pain that started in her lower back and radiated down her left leg. After a visit to her local physiotherapist, she learned she had a herniated disc, a common source of lower back pain. But thanks to a targeted set of physiotherapy exercises for back pain, Allison was back to her old self in no time!
Allison’s experience is not unusual. Lower back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints in the world, affecting around 80% of people at some point in their lives. And like Allison, many of the people who suffer from lower back pain learn that exercise and movement are crucial in recovery.
But how do you know which exercises to perform? How do you perform exercises at all when your back is in excruciating pain? Allison wondered the same things when she embarked on a therapeutic exercise program with her physiotherapist. As it turned out, her therapist provided her with a personalized plan considering her current ability levels. She also offered careful guidance as Allison progressed through the different exercises.
Physiotherapy exercises for back pain are not like exercises you perform for everyday fitness at the gym. At PhysioChiroWellness, our physiotherapists will provide you with movements specifically designed to address your individual symptoms, condition, and recovery goals.
Curious about what sort of exercises we might include in a lower back pain relief program? Keep reading–or call our clinic for more personalized information!
Common Sources of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is so prevalent because it can stem from any number of causes, including injuries, lifestyle factors, and underlying conditions. Addressing your back pain successfully starts with correctly pinpointing its source–something our physiotherapists can help with!
Here are a few of the common causes of lower back pain:
- Sprain: A sprain occurs when you overstretch the ligaments in your spine–the tissue that connects your joints. It’s usually caused by improper lifting techniques, such as twisting your spine as you pick up something heavy.
- Strain: A strain occurs when you overstretch your back’s muscles or tendons (the tissue that connects muscles to bone). Again, improper lifting technique is a common culprit, as is lifting something too heavy for you.
- Degenerative Disc Disease: As we age, our spine’s intervertebral discs start to dry out and degenerate. DDD can lead to intense back pain because these discs protect our vertebrae from rubbing against each other. It can also contribute to other back conditions, such as the following:
- Spinal Stenosis: This condition causes the spinal column to narrow, putting pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.
- Herniated Disc: This condition occurs when one of the vertebral discs bulges or ruptures. Among older people, DDD is a common cause, but injury can also lead to disc herniation.
- Spinal Arthritis: Arthritis is associated with inflammation and can affect any joint in the body, including your spine.
Our physiotherapists will work with you to determine what might be causing your specific back pain. Maybe you’ve suffered an injury, maybe it’s old age, or maybe poor posture and prolonged sitting are putting strain on your back–or it could be a combination of factors! Regardless, we can let you know for sure.
Physiotherapy Exercises for Back Pain
Regardless of the cause of your back pain, your physiotherapy treatment will almost certainly include a therapeutic exercise program. Why? Because regular movement is crucial in managing back pain. Many people want to avoid activity when struggling with back pain, but doing so can worsen the condition.
We’ll develop a personalized exercise program based on the cause of your back pain and any contributing factors, plus your current ability level. For this reason, every treatment plan is different, but you might expect them to include the following types of exercise:
- Stretching and mobility work is usually gentle enough to get started. It can help improve your range of motion and prepare you for more intense exercise as you get better.
- Low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking or biking will get you moving without putting too much strain on your back, helping reduce pain and improve overall mobility.
- Core strengthening exercises are crucial in managing back pain. Your core muscles wrap and support your spine, and when they’re weak, everyday movements can put excess pressure on your lower back. Exercises like glute bridges (lifting your hips while lying on your back) or modified planks can help strengthen your core.
- Whole-body strengthening exercises are also important. Building strength throughout your body further removes pressure from your spine. We might start with bodyweight training before moving on to resistance training.
- Balance and coordination training is important if your back pain is affecting your awareness of movement, leading to instability. Targeted balance and coordination exercises help restore your ability to sense where you are, how you move, and reduce your fall risk as you work to resolve the back pain itself
How We’ll Structure Your Exercise Program
At PhysioChiroWellness, we understand that the idea of exercising when you’re in intense pain can be extremely intimidating. That’s why we’ll create a progressive program that starts at your current ability level and increases in intensity as you move through it.
To do this effectively, we’ll begin with a comprehensive evaluation that includes a complete health history, an overview of your symptoms, and several movement screens that look at strength, range of motion, balance, walking patterns, and more. All this information helps us identify the factors contributing to your back pain so we can tailor your program to your needs.
Your program will likely consist of several sessions in our clinic, along with an at-home program. For example, we might walk you through targeted strength training sessions when you visit us in our office, then ask you to do Yoga or take regular walks each week on your own time.
In addition to showing you the exercises and ensuring that you’re performing them correctly, we’ll monitor your progress, modifying movements as needed–and increasing the intensity as you improve.
Which Physiotherapy Exercises Will Work Best For Your Back Pain?
Back pain can be debilitating, but a structured, tailored exercise program is a proven method of helping you find relief. The PhysioChiroWellness team will help you find the physiotherapy exercises for back pain that best suit your needs!
Ready to get started? Request your initial consultation today!