How To Manage Chronic Back Pain
01/31/2024
No one knows quite how debilitating chronic back pain can be until they live through it. If you’re experiencing chronic back pain, you may have trouble completing even the most basic daily activities. Sitting, standing, and lying down can be uncomfortable, and you may be unsure where to turn to find relief.
Thankfully, pain relief and management are not outside your grasp. With the help of a physical therapist, you can learn how to manage chronic back pain through alternative treatments and therapies.
Here are a few methods to help you relieve back pain and get back to your life:
Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is one of the most common treatment options in a physical therapy program. It involves an expert physical therapist massaging or mobilizing specific areas of your back, such as joints or soft tissue. Applying gentle pressure to the spine and surrounding muscles can reduce muscle tension and relieve pain.
Manual therapy is often most beneficial for chronic low back pain, though it can relieve pain in other areas of the back. This form of treatment should only be performed by skilled clinicians. Attempting manual therapy without the right training could worsen the pain.
Exercise Programs
Completing the right exercises can also help alleviate back pain. Your physical therapist may recommend light aerobic activity like walking, jogging, or riding a stationary bike to loosen the muscles and relieve pain. They may also guide you through core strengthening exercises, which can take some pressure off your back when sitting and standing.
Before you try exercising with lower back pain, be sure to talk to a physical therapist. You don’t want to risk worsening your injury by completing an exercise you aren’t ready for. Your therapist will develop a treatment plan tailored to your type of injury and the intensity of your pain.
Electrical Stimulation
Another method for how to manage chronic back pain involves electrical stimulation. Physical therapists use spinal cord stimulation to deliver a low-level electrical signal to the nerves, effectively blocking the nerve signal and, thus, the pain. This treatment provides temporary pain relief, allowing you to better complete exercises and other therapies that would otherwise be too painful.
Nerve Blocks
As an alternative to electrical stimulation, nerve blocks are injections that block the pain signaling from the nerve roots. A nerve block may relieve your back pain for a few days or up to a few months, depending on the type of block and your body’s response to it.
Seek Treatment for Lower Back Pain Today
Instead of turning to pain medications or muscle relaxants for back pain relief, you can learn how to manage chronic back pain over the long term with the help of a physical therapist.
At Spero Rehab, we provide orthopedic rehabilitation services that target the source of your chronic pain. We’ll develop a custom treatment plan focusing on your symptoms and goals, then guide you through a range of therapies for fast, long-term relief.
Contact us today to learn more, or request an appointment to get started.