Physio for Lower Back Pain: Does it Help?
Lower back pain is something that many people experience all around the world. It can be a mild, ongoing ache or a robust and intense pain that makes it hard to do everyday activities. This pain can affect a person's life and how they feel. It is worth mentioning that lower back pain includes somatic referred pain, which is pain felt in an area away from the actual source. In some cases, leg pain can be associated with issues in the lumbar spine.
Many people try different things to improve their back pain, and one of those things is physiotherapy. This article will discuss how physiotherapy can help lower back pain and whether it works well.
Physiotherapy, or physical therapy, is healthcare that helps people move and feel better. It uses exercises, hands-on treatments, and teaching to help reduce pain, make muscles more substantial and flexible, and help the body heal itself if tissues are damaged.
How Does it Help?
Physiotherapy is important for managing lower back pain. It helps in many ways:
Reducing Pain: Physiotherapy uses techniques like manual therapy and exercises to ease pain in the lower back. By targeting the causes of the pain and joint mobilisations, physiotherapists provide relief and make people more comfortable.
Restoring Movement: Lower back pain can make it hard to do daily activities and move around. Physiotherapy includes stretching, exercises, and fixing posture to bring back movement and let people resume normal activities by improving their range of motion.
Preventing Future Pain: Physiotherapy not only treats current symptoms but also focuses on preventing future episodes of lower back pain. Physiotherapists find out the contributing factors and give advice on how to avoid it, helping people stay healthy.
Personalised Treatment: Everyone's experience with lower back pain is different, so physiotherapy creates treatment plans for each person. Physiotherapists assess patients' needs and design interventions, ensuring the recovery is tailored to each individual.
Effective Physiotherapy Techniques for Lower Back Pain
Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is an important part of physiotherapy for lower back pain. It involves using hands to move and manipulate the spine and nearby tissues. This helps improve how the joints work, reduce pain, and bring back movement. Some common manual therapy methods for lower back pain are:
Spinal Manipulation: Skilled force is used on the spinal joints to make them move better, lessen pain, and improve function.
Mobilisation: Gentle movements are done on the spine or joints to make them more flexible, decrease stiffness, and help with healing.
Therapeutic Exercises
Therapeutic exercises are very important for making the muscles in the lower back stronger and more flexible. Physiotherapists give special exercises to each person based on what they need. These exercises can include:
Core Strengthening: Doing exercises that make the muscles in the belly and back stronger. This helps keep the spine stable and reduces strain on the lower back.
Flexibility Training: Doing stretching exercises to make the muscles and soft tissues more flexible. This reduces tightness in the muscles and helps move the body better.
Aerobic Conditioning: Doing activities like walking or swimming that don't put a lot of stress on the lower back. This helps make the whole body healthier and keeps the heart and lungs strong.
Postural Correction
Fixing your posture can help reduce lower back pain. Physiotherapy helps correct your posture by teaching you how to correctly align your body and move.
Learning and Taking Care of Yourself
In physiotherapy for lower back pain, education is very important. Physiotherapists teach you about your condition so you understand it better. They also show you how to care for yourself and avoid future problems. They advise you on how to sit, stand, and change your lifestyle to keep your back healthy.
Other Additional Treatments
Physiotherapy uses more than manual therapy and exercises to treat lower back pain. It may also include other additional treatments like:
Heat or Cold Therapy: Applying heat or cold to the sore area helps reduce pain, swelling and aids in healing.
Electrical Stimulation: Electrical currents stimulate muscles and relieve pain. This may involve using devices like TENS or EMS.
Ultrasound Therapy: Utilizing high-frequency sound waves to help heal tissues, decrease inflammation, and alleviate pain.
Is Physiotherapy Good for Back Pain?
Many research studies have looked at physiotherapy for lower back pain. They consistently show that physiotherapy works well. Here are some important things they found:
A British Journal of Sports Medicine review said exercises and physiotherapy could reduce pain and help people function better with long-lasting back pain.
A study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that doing exercises and getting hands-on treatment together works better than just doing one for people with long-lasting back pain.
A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared physiotherapy, medicine, and spinal manipulation for sudden back pain. It showed that physiotherapy was as good as medicine and spinal manipulation at reducing pain and helping people function better.
These studies, and many others, show that physiotherapy is an excellent way to treat lower back pain and achieve pain relief.
How Long Does it take for Back Pain to Heal
If it's a short-term pain caused by muscle strain or injury, it usually improves in a few days to a couple of weeks if you take care of yourself.
But if you have long-term back pain, it's more complicated and takes longer to heal. This pain lasts over three months and needs a thorough diagnosis and specific treatment. If you have chronic back pain, you must see a healthcare professional who knows about spine health. They can discover why you have the pain and create a treatment plan.
Exercises for Lower Back Pain
Engaging in regular exercise can be an effective way to alleviate lower back pain. However, it’s important to proceed with caution, and if the pain is severe or persistent, consulting a healthcare professional before starting any exercise program is essential. Here are some exercises that may help to alleviate lower back pain:
Pelvic Tilts:
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms by your sides.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and push your lower back into the floor.
Hold this position for a few seconds and then release.
Repeat 10-15 times.
Cat-Cow Stretch:
Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.
Inhale as you arch your back, letting your stomach drop towards the floor (Cow position).
Exhale as you round your back, pulling your abdomen in and tucking your chin to your chest (Cat position).
Repeat this sequence for 10-15 repetitions.
Child's Pose:
Begin on your hands and knees.
Sit your hips back towards your heels and stretch your arms out in front of you.
Lower your chest towards the floor, keeping your arms extended.
Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.
Bridge Exercise:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Tighten your buttocks and lift your hips off the floor, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Hold for a few seconds and then slowly lower your hips back to the floor.
Repeat 10-15 times.
Knee-to-Chest Stretch:
Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Bring one knee up towards your chest, holding it with both hands.
Hold for 20-30 seconds and then switch to the other leg.
You can also bring both knees to the chest for a double knee-to-chest stretch.
Lower Trunk Rotations:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Keeping your shoulders on the floor, gently rotate your knees to one side.
Hold for 5-10 seconds, and then rotate to the other side.
Repeat 10-15 times on each side.
Hamstring Stretch:
Sit on the floor with one leg extended and the other bent.
Lean forward from the hips towards the foot of your extended leg.
Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs.
Partial Curl-Ups:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Place your hands behind your head or cross them over your chest.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your shoulders off the floor.
Hold for a few seconds and then lower back down.
Final Thoughts
If your lower back hurts, you should talk to an experienced physiotherapist. They will make a unique plan to treat you and help you feel better. They know a lot about how to reduce your pain and help you do more activities.
Remember. Your back needs good care. Physiotherapy can make you healthier and happier.
