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Common Causes of Spine Pain (and How PT Can Help)

by | Dec 19, 2023 | Back Pain

close up of woman clutching her spine

Are you experiencing persistent back pain? The source of your pain may actually be your spine. If that’s the case, it’s important to know what may be causing your pain, so that you can treat it. Physical therapy is an important first step in treating your spine pain.

What is Spine Pain?

While spine pain is a type of back pain, it’s important to recognize when your pain is caused by a muscular issue or a spinal issue. If you’re experiencing back pain, some signs that it might be spine pain include:

  • Pain or tingling in other areas of the body – like legs, glutes or groin.
  • Weakness in your limbs or loss of motor function
  • Constant or persistent pain that feels like burning. Persistent in this case is pain that lasts for 14+ days.
  • Difficulty maintaining posture

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms above alongside back pain, it’s a good idea to speak with a physical therapist to determine the cause of your pain. It could be caused by your spine, which will need treatment in order to heal and reduce your pain.

Related Content: Low Back Pain & MRI Results: Here’s What You Should Know

Common Causes of Spine Pain

If you’re experiencing spinal pain, there are a few common causes to know.

Spine injury or degeneration

If you’ve experienced a spinal injury, this could be causing your pain. This injury may have occurred years or decades before, but only now are you experiencing noticeable symptoms.

Bulging or ruptured discs

Your discs are cushions between the bones in your spine, and can bulge or rupture over time. This then presses on the sensitive nerves in your spine.

Arthritis

Arthritis can be present in your spine as well, which is called osteoarthritis.

Osteoporosis

Like arthritis, osteoporosis can also impact the bones in your spine.

The only way to know for sure what is causing your spine pain is to meet with one of our physical therapists. While you can also seek advice from your primary doctor, a specialist will be better suited to creating a comprehensive treatment plan.

How Can Physical Therapy Ease Or Get Rid Of Your Back Pain?

There are a few key ways physical therapy helps with back and spine pain. Physical Therapy with PRO Therapy can:

  • Get you out of the cycle of: pain, doctor, pills, more pain.
  • Reduce immediate pain and stiffness – usually in a couple of sessions.
  • Figure out what’s really going on, and get to the root cause of your back pain.
  • Target the specific problem with exercises and treatments catered to you and your back issue to help speed up recovery.
  • Put an end to the need for countless pain killers, which can be addictive and are no good for your health in the long term.
  • Get rid of that lack of energy often associated with being in constant pain.
  • Avoid dangerous back surgery and unnecessary injections.
  • Get you back to doing the things you need, want, and love to do with family and friends that you hadn’t been able to do.
  • Stand/sit with greater ease and walk farther distances without having the feelings of pain, tightness and weakness in your back or that it’s going to give out.
  • Sleep through the night without tossing and turning to try to find a comfortable position.

Because each case is different, it’s hard to know exactly what treatment options will be best for your spine pain. That’s why you should meet with one of our doctors of physical therapy in person so we can assess and speak with you directly about your symptoms.

Still not sure about physical therapy? Let’s chat!

We realize some people may be unsure if physical therapy is the right option for them. It could be that you’re not sure it’ll work, or you don’t know whether we can help with what you’re struggling with, or perhaps you had a bad experience somewhere else in the past. If that sounds like you and you’d like to come in and see for yourself how PRO Therapy can help you, sign up for one of our complimentary In Person Discovery Visits. During this session, you’ll meet with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy one-on-one to discuss treatment options before you have to make a commitment.

Dr. Kevin Spahr

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Outstanding experience working with Dr Salfer and the Pro Therapy team. Helped me overcome a longstanding injury that blocked me from running. Am back to regular 5Ks for the first time in almost a decade and feel fantastic! Dr Salfer is great at what she does and is super patient to answer questions and provide instructions on how to do exercises. Front desk team also couldn’t be nicer. Thank you!
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I’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis for years and I thought there was no going back from the pain I felt all day everyday. Pro therapy has truly been a game-changer. From the very first visit, with Brooke she made me feel heard, supported, and hopeful. She took the time to explain my condition, tailored a treatment plan specifically for me and listen to the feed back from each visit to see what the next best thing was. Pro therapy staff been incredibly encouraging every step of the way.

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I Highly recommend pro therapy to anyone dealing with plantar fasciitis. They truly care about your recovery and go above and beyond to help you heal.
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Greta H.
I was dealing with painful posterior tibial shin splints from running, and after just two StemWave sessions with Dr. Kevin Spahr, I noticed a significant reduction in pain. After the third session, I was running completely pain free! As a college athlete I've tried many recovery tools, but StemWave has been a game changer for me! The results were real, fast, and Dr. Kevin along with the the entire care team was knowledgeable, genuinely caring, and supportive! I would highly recommend StemWave for anyone struggling with inflammation or looking to speed up recovery! Being able to run without pain again was such a relief, and it truly meant the world to me!
Harrison E.
Started doing PT at PRO in April for some intense plantar fasciitis that I'd been experiencing for over a year and hadn't been able to remedy it on my own. Lily gave me a very effective Home Exercise Program to strengthen my arches & toes and did lots of great soft tissue / needle work in our weekly sessions. Two months later, my feet are feeling the strongest and most capable they've felt in a very long time and I can walk around & sleep without thinking about foot pain. I'd recommend PRO to anyone looking to deal with physical annoyances once and for all.
antonishia M.
Jennie is always pleasant and so helpful with any and all of my questions which makes me feel safe to come to her with anything. Dr. Kelvyn is my PT and he has been great to work with so far. Dr. Kelvyn listens to my goals and I’m excited for him to keep pushing me towards my goals of PT.
Karsten J.
I fractured 3 transverse spinal processes in November 2025 and had a C section baby 3 days later. I was in quite a bit of pain with very limited mobility, and about a month after the injury, started physical therapy to ensure I could heal well and run again. Dr. Lily helped me both heal and get my back moving again, as well as some pelvic floor exercises since even though I had a C section, I had pelvic floor pain after being pregnant. After a few months, we tapered off appointments and I have sucessfully been able to run, do yoga, lift weights, and return to normal daily life again with no pain! They were very conveniently located in NE Minneapolis near me, and had great scheduling availability. I'd go again!
Anne W.
Dr. Spahr and his team at PRO Therapy work together closely to provide state-of-the-art healing therapies that help people return to doing the activities they love best. The entire team, including the front office staff, exemplifies a model of care and professionalism that really stands out to me. I highly recommend PRO Therapy.