If you’re experiencing everyday back pain and aches, chances are you’ve thought at least one of the following:
- This is just part of aging, I have to live with it.
- It’s not bad enough to do anything major about it, I’ll just take pain meds.
- My pain isn’t consistent or regular – since it’s so random, I’ll just deal with it when it happens.
- My doctor just tells me to ice it and the pain comes back anyway…there’s nothing I can do to get rid of it.
It’s tempting (and easy) to just write off back pain as an inevitable and keep on with your daily life…until it gets too bad and you find yourself facing a surgery.
No matter the cause, back pain is unbearable. Even in its “mildest” forms, it’s a constant ache as you’re trying to do daily activities. At its worst, it’s debilitating.
You don’t have to live with back pain – there are solutions you can take to manage your pain right now! Starting these practices addresses the source of your pain, to help reduce it long-term.
How to Manage Back Pain Without Surgery
1. Use Ice…..Or Heat
When the pain is acute, you need something to work immediately. Ice or heat is a great way to reduce pain in the short term. We suggest starting with 15-20 minutes of ice or heat. Ice is most beneficial immediately following an injury, but can also help if you suddenly experience acute pain (for example, “sleeping on it wrong).
Heat is a highly effective pain and stiffness reliever. Simply sliding a heating pad between your back and your bed while laying down in the evening can help relax muscles and reduce pain.
Stick with one or you might find benefit from switching between ice and heat.
2. Take a Break from Sitting
Sitting for extended periods of time (30+ minutes) is a common cause for back pain and stiffness. An easy way to combat this is to get yourself up and out of that chair and move your body.
Research on back pain consistently tells us that walking is one of the best activities we can do on a daily basis to help eliminate pain and stiffness.
When the weather outside isn’t cooperative, even a few short laps around the office can make a world of difference.
3. Start Physical Therapy with PRO Therapy
The solutions above are great for reducing short-term pain – but if you want to reduce and eliminate back pain once and for all, you need a dedicated care plan.
Past and current research continues to support physical therapy as the top option for managing back pain. You can often leave with your concerns eased and physical pain reduced in 30-40 minutes with a good physical therapist!
If you want to make physical therapy a success, partnering with a one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy is going to help you avoid future pain and resolve current pain. Our team will create a custom plan based on your pain level, health history, and ability. From there, you’ll be able to engage with gentle treatments, exercises, and stretches that will address the root cause of your back pain.
We Love to Help People:
- Keep Active – So you can run after your kids all day, take your grandchildren to the park with ease, enjoy a nice round of golf, run or walk anytime that suits you.
- Stay Free From Painkillers – So you’re not always reaching in the cupboard for pills to ease the pain whenever it strikes, getting only a “quick fix” when you need a “permanent fix” – PLUS they’re no good for your long-term health, “mask” the pain and certainly don’t actually do anything to fix the problem.
- Avoid Dangerous Injections/Surgery – We’ll help you get to the root cause of what’s going on – so you don’t have to get to the point of having to face injections or surgery.
- Found Out What’s Wrong – We’ll help give you peace of mind and ensure that your problem is “corrected” and “healed” properly – also give you a set of exercises perfectly catered to you to help speed up recovery.
- Get More Enjoyment Out Of Life – So you can enjoy quality time with family and friends that your daily aches and pains steal from you – also finally get a good night of sleep without constantly tossing and turning.
Read Now: Why Our Physical Therapy Team Are Amazing (And What They Have Taught Me)
4. Know That Surgery is Sometimes Necessary
While we want you to do as much as possible to try and address and solve your pain, the truth is that sometimes surgery is a necessity. If your back pain is caused by something that can only be corrected with surgery, the solutions above will help you in the short-term but will not aid you in the long-term. Always let your doctor and physical therapist know what you’re experiencing, and they will work together to create a plan to help you.
And if surgery is necessary, physical therapy can help there too. Before surgery, regular physical therapy strengthens your body and preps it for healing. A post-op physical therapy plan with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy is critical for the healing process and ensuring the pain doesn’t return again once you have healed
See How We Can Help
Are you ready to make physical therapy work for you? Give us a call! We offer complimentary phone and in-person consultations. We aim to meet our patients wherever they are in their journey and answer all questions we can to ensure a smooth experience at PRO Therapy. We want to help you make the best decision for you!
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