Which Form of Physiotherapy is Right for My Back Pain Needs? How to Figure Out Your Treatment Plan
Are you dealing with back pain? Whether you’ve recently injured or ‘tweaked’ your back or have been dealing with discomfort for some time, anyone who has dealt with pain in the back knows how frustrating it can be.
Your back is the central player in any major motion you make with your body, from bending over to tie your shoe to simply lying down in bed for the night. And because small back pains can grow into bigger ones over time, it’s important to address back pain sooner rather than later.
One of the most common ways back pain is treated is through physiotherapy. Through a range of exercises, manipulative motions, and stretching, your physiotherapist will gradually help you strengthen the muscles in the back, restoring mobility, reducing pain, and generally helping you feel your best again. With that said, there’s more than one way to use physiotherapy, and understanding its uses for your specific situation might be a trickier question than it seems.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at physiotherapy, how it works for treating different kinds of back pain, and the steps you need to take to create a treatment plan that works for you. Let's get started!
How do I know if I need physio for back pain?
No one knows your body like you do, and only you can say for sure when something isn’t right. If your pain begins to subside with time, your body is probably able to heal naturally without extra help.
However, if you’re dealing with any of the following issues related to your back pain, it’s a good idea to sit down for a consultation with a qualified physiotherapist to discuss your options:
Pain that’s still at the same level (or more severe) three days after an injury
Pain interrupting your daily routines
Trouble lying, sitting, or sleeping because of back pain
Excessive pain after receiving surgery
Pain that hasn’t gone away after other treatments (e.g., acupuncture, massage therapy)
Physio and its use for back pain
Physiotherapy is a vital part of rehabilitating the spine and surrounding muscles, which will help you restore mobility, strengthen the body, and reduce your pain over time. Physio for back pain can usually be broken down to a few key elements:
Stretching exercises (e.g., hamstring stretches)
Back strengthening to stabilize the spine (e.g., dynamic lumbar stretches, core exercises)
Low-impact aerobic exercises (e.g., water aerobics, cycling, rowing)
Physiotherapy may also be initially used on its own if you’re in too much pain to do more advanced exercises. It mainly focuses on alleviating the most immediate symptoms so you can move on to more involved treatments. It may include:
Heat and ice
Therapeutic ultrasound
Electrotherapy
Registered massage therapy
In most cases, physiotherapy will be used for the treatment of your back pain. Though the exact way that treatments are applied will vary from person to person, you can almost always expect a mix of treatments that focus on immediate relief as well as exercises and stretches designed to help your long-term recovery.
Do you need relief now? Get started with physiotherapy for back pain today
If you’ve been dealing with back pain that simply isn’t getting better on its own, there’s no reason to continue living with it. Physiotherapy is a safe, effective, and completely customizable way to approach treatment for back pain in a way that actually works for you. Though there are plenty of handy guides out there for at-home stretches and exercises to alleviate your symptoms, nothing offers consistency and results like working with a physiotherapist.
At Triumph Physio, treatment for back pain always begins with a conversation. In this initial consultation, we learn all about your situation, including causes of your pain, the location and severity, how long it’s been going on, your goals, your boundaries, and your needs.
All of this information gives us a chance to create a customized treatment plan tailored to your specific recovery. From here, we’re able to figure out a roadmap that will steadily guide you through the essential milestones, eventually leaving you feeling your best again—perhaps better than you ever have.
Contact us today if you're ready to see the benefits of back pain physio firsthand!
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