Back pain is one of the most common issues that people in this country face. A datasheet produced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports this fact. In fact, this document reports that about 80% of U.S. adults experience back pain at some point in their lives. 

If you’re one of the millions of Americans living with chronic back pain, then physical therapy is a treatment option you should consider. Physical therapists make use of many physical therapy methods, but there are two specific physical therapy methods for back pain that may be used in your treatment plan. 

1. Core muscle strengthening exercises

One physical therapy method that’s often used to treat back pain is core muscle strengthening exercises. Your core is an area of the body that has a huge role in supporting the spine. In fact, there are many core muscles that can cause spinal issues and back pain if they become weak or injured. 

For instance, one core muscle that helps support the spine is the diaphragm. Also, the abdominal muscles and muscles in your back, such as the erector spinae, are vital for proper spinal support. Even muscles in the pelvic floor and the gluteus maximus in the buttock are typically listed as spine-supporting core muscles.

When any of these muscles are weakened or injured, it can lead to spinal misalignment and pain. However, core-strengthening physical therapy exercises are designed to increase the strength of core muscles. This increased strength allows them to better support the spine, and it may help take pressure off of pinched nerves and realign your spine. In turn, the resolving of these issues may help decrease your back pain. 

2. Electrical stimulation

Another physical therapy commonly used for back pain treatment focuses on the nerves of the back rather than the muscles. This physical therapy is called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), or electrical stimulation for short.

Electrical stimulation is performed using electrode pads. These pads are placed on the skin above the painful area of your back. The pads are then attached to an electrical stimulation machine, and this machine generates low-level electrical pulses. These pulses are transmitted into the body, and they are believed to block pain signals from your nerves. Electrical stimulation can help reduce the pain you’re feeling in your back. 

Get the effective back pain physical therapy you deserve at Continuum Wellness

Our Continuum Wellness team is proud to offer back pain physical therapy and other services to the residents of Apache Junction, Arizona. One of the benefits of coming to see us is that we have a lot of experience treating this form of pain. We also realize that back pain can be caused by many issues and that it affects patients in different ways. To help address your specific back issues, our team will build you a personalized physical therapy plan, and this plan will be designed to provide benefits like: 

• Reduced pain
• Increased range of motion
• Improved ability to perform daily tasks
• Increased quality of life

Take the next step to find relief from your back pain. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.