It can be hard to shake once you have back pain and almost everyone can expect to experience back pain at some point in their lives. The second leading cause of visits to a doctor is back pain. Sometimes it’s clearly serious when you are injured, or have tingling in the legs, or you feel numbness, weakness.
Usually Physical Therapy is the first choice of treatment for people suffering from back pain over other forms of treatment including back surgery. The goals of a physical therapist would be to increase function, decrease back pain and prevent future back problems for the patient.
The Common Forms Of Physical Therapy For Back Pain Include
Passive Physical Therapy:
It includes modalities such as ice packs, heat application, and electrical stimulation. For example, a therapist use heating pad to warm up the muscles prior to doing stretching and exercising and an ice pack is used to sooth the muscles and soft tissues after stretching.
Active Physical Therapy:
Here a therapist focuses on particular exercises and stretching muscles and surrounding structure. Most back pain is treated with active physical therapy and exercises.
TENS Unit For Low Back
TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is commonly used drug free device to control back pain. The TENS unit stimulates physiochemical changes and gives pain relieving effects. It also stimulates muscle contraction and help increase blood circulation.
Stretching Exercises For Low Back
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Simple Low Back Stretching Exercises
- Knee Rolling: Lie down on your back on a plane surface. Bend your knee and roll the knees from side to side. Do this movement for 1 minute each time.
- Knee to Chest: Maintain the same position, grasp your left knee and pull it toward your left shoulder and hold it for few seconds. Do the same at your right side.
- Pelvic Tilting: Lie down on your back on a plane surface. Flatten your low back onto the surface, hold for few seconds and then release slowly.
- Side Flexion in Standing: Stand with back straight and hands by your sides. Lean to one side gently and slide down your hand toward the ground as far as possible pain free. Repeat this on the other side.
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Advanced Lower Back Stretching Exercises
- Back Extension in Lying: Lie down facing to the ground with both hands under your shoulder and lift your trunk off the ground by keeping your elbows straight. Hold it for 10 to 15 seconds. Relax your pelvis and legs by keeping the front of your hips on the ground.
- Rotation Stretch in Lying: Lie down on your back on a plane surface. Keep your leg across your body with the help of your opposite hand. Hold it for 10 to 15 seconds. Perform the same exercise on the other side.
- Cat Stretch: On kneeling position, keep your hand in front of your head. Take your weight backward to your heel very gently and lower down your chest until you feel a stretch on your back. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
6 Stretching Exercises for Low Back Pain Relief
Also Read:
- Treatment for Back Pain
- Coping With Back Pain Made Easier With These Home Remedies
- Spinal Cord Stimulator for Relieving Back Pain
- Tips to Cope With Back Pain While Sitting, Standing, Lifting, Driving
- Sleeping Postures To Prevent Back Pain & Neck Pain
- Measures To Alleviate Low Back Pain When Driving Long Distance
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