Physiotherapists are experts in lower back pain relief and rehabilitation, using hands-on treatment techniques that are very effective.
We all have lower back pain from time to time. If it’s been bothering you for a while, or if it doesn’t seem to get better on its own, then physio might be the way forward.
We see patients with lower back pain every day at Dublin Physio & Chiropractic, so we can help you find out what the cause is and how best to treat your condition!
Can Physio Help Lower Back Pain?
This is a common question I get and yes, a physio can help lower back pain. Physiotherapy works by giving the right input or stimulus, through exercise therapy and hands-on techniques, to create a positive change or adaptation in the body. The change we are looking for through exercise therapy and hands-on techniques can be:
- Reduced pain.
- Improve mobility or flexibility in a certain joint.
- Reduced muscle tone.
- Increased muscle strength.
- Increased muscle or cardiovascular endurance.
- Increase exercise capacity or tolerance.
- Increased ability to carry out functional, everyday tasks – like reaching and grasping, lifting and carrying, or playing with your little ones.
With lower back pain the main cause is usually an imbalance, and that goes for a lot of physical and emotional conditions or ailments. When the body is put under any kind of stress, it goes into a ‘fight-or-flight’ protective mode. Ideally, we flow in and out of this fight-flight mode to a relaxation and digestion mode, which allows us to recover and grow.
However, with the busy lifestyles many of us lead nowadays, we spend a lot of time stressed and have no time to recover, and this puts on toll on our body, and eventually, our body says enough-is-enough.
We get tense and tension builds up in our neck and shoulders, we feel fatigued, overwhelmed, and we can experience pain.
Pain is usually telling us something could be modified so we can function better, under less stress or load.
How Physio Can Help Lower Back Pain
Physio comes into the picture because physio can relax tight muscles, relieve pain and stiffness. And work with you to find a balance again. But also, through exercise therapy, you can train your body or mind or low back to be able to handle the stress and demand put on your body and mind, and manage your pain if you do experience a flare-up in the future.
Your physio will settle your symptoms and work with you to build your body’s resilience so it doesn’t feel the need to go into that ‘fight-or-flight’ mode so quickly or frequently. And if is done, everyone gets stressed from time to time, you know how to get out of it so that it does not turn into a chronic problem.
My one point of advice – give it time.
Exercise Therapy for Lower Back Pain Relief and Rehabilitation
As lower back pain sufferers, you have probably been told to rest or avoid certain activities – but that is not the best thing to do. In fact, it’s very important to keep active! And your physio can help with lower back pain relief by helping create an exercise program that is right for your lower back.
Exercise therapy helps you to manage their symptoms, through low-impact exercise – which can be swimming, cycling, or yoga! And the exercises are designed to strengthen and stretch different parts of the body so you build up a balanced set of muscles in order to support your lower back.
Exercise therapy is also a great lower back pain reliever because it helps you: – Gain and maintain mobility, flexibility, and strength in your lower back region. – Improve posture and balance. – Increase the ability to carry out everyday tasks with less stress or strain on your lower body. If you are somebody who has been suffering from lower back pain or a lower back injury, then it is important to be proactive and seek the help you need.
Low Back Pain In The Clinic
I see clients that come in my clinic in a lot of pain – and after a few sessions their pain is gone and I don’t see them again, until a few months late or the following year with another flare-up.
Even if your symptoms are gone it is important to stay active and maintain a healthy, mobile, and functional low back through regular exercise that includes; strength training, cardio/endurance training, and mobility work, like stretching, to prevent flare-ups and promote long-term health and well-being.
Physio Treatment Of Lower Back Pain
Physio treatment starts with a thorough client history, we gather your story related to the problem.
Then, we do an examination to determine what might be causing your lower back pain. We also look for any imbalances throughout the body that are related to lower back pain or injury – something as simple as tightness in one side of your lower back can cause problems with posture and lower back function.
Physio’s then start treating. Usually, with a combination of hands-on therapies, like massage or muscle release techniques, and mobilizations, and exercise therapy – it tells the brain ‘it’s okay to movement, you don’t have to protect this area’.
We lower the stress on your body and mind so that you can relax into a pain-free or lower back pain relief state. And we work with you to find out if there are any imbalances in muscles around your lower back – which might be causing some of those aches and pains.
These imbalances could be caused by lower back pain or injury, but they could also be longstanding issues that you have been living with for years. So it’s important to get an examination from your physio so we can help you lower back pain relief in the right way – whether through exercise therapy, hands-on treatments, or a combination of both!
Conclusion
Physio can help lower back pain in short and long-term lower back pain relief. So lower back pain sufferers, don’t resign yourself to a life of lower back pain – physio can help you lower the stress on your body and mind that is causing those aches and pains!
References
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6251828/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26985522/
