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Physical Therapy
What is it?
Physical therapy is an exercise program that will aid in your recovery from surgery or will help you to increase your strength and mobility or manage your pain with the goal of avoiding surgery. Typically, a patient's physical therapy program will include stretching, strengthening and pain relief exercises, and low-impact aerobic conditioning. Physical therapy can be passive therapy (procedures done to a patient by a physical therapist), active therapy (exercises done by the patient alone or with a physical therapist's supervision), or a combination of both.
How can it help?
In general, the goals of exercises and physical therapy are to decrease or manage your back pain, increase your function and mobility, and provide education on a personal maintenance program that can help you prevent further injury or recurrence of pain.
What can I expect?
- Stretching
Stretching will include routines to work the muscles, ligaments and tendons in the back and around the spine, as well as your hamstring muscles in the back of the thighs. - Strengthening
One of the goals of physical therapy and exercise is to strengthen your "core," the muscles around your spine, back and neck, which have been stressed by your injury or condition, and also those which can compensate and/or relieve the strain on your spine. For example, strengthening your abdominal muscles can relieve the daily strain on your spine and make you less prone to injury. Exercises help to "teach" the spine how to stay in proper position and other muscles how to help in lifting, twisting and supporting. Performed regularly, these exercises can help distribute weight and strain more easily across your body and can help keep your back strong, healthy and well positioned. - Pain Relief
Certain exercises (including those called McKenzie exercises) can help relieve pain or move stress and pain to areas of the body where it is better tolerated or where it seems lessened. - Low-impact Aerobic Conditioning
Aerobic exercise can be helpful for both rehabilitation and for ongoing maintenance of a healthy back. Best when done on a regular basis, the following low-impact forms of exercise can also help in managing weight, further relieving stress on the spine. - Walking
A great form of exercise, walking is gentle on the back and can be incorporated easily into most patients' schedules and lifestyles. - Stationary Bicycling
Some patients find a stationary bike equally effective when walking is not a comfortable activity or in adverse weather. - Water Therapy
Swimming and other forms of exercise in the water minimize stress on the back, while providing support and gentle resistance.