Repairing the Lower Back With Physical Therapy

Repairing the Lower Back With Physical Therapy
Repairing the Lower Back With Physical Therapy

What Physical Therapy Can Do To Help

Lower back pain often results as a consequence of weak back muscles or an accident. This may twinge, strain, or damage back muscles. When this occurs, your back is in need of a healing and rebuilding process. The good news is that you can often reverse a weak and injured lower back with Physical Therapy.

An injured back can heal as the damaged tissue repairs but additionaly, what's important is to help guide the back to a fuller strength. Cross Bay Physical Therapy makes sure your lower back muscles strengthen as they heal leading to a much better state of recovery and strength.

At the same time, posture development through exercise can bring you back to a more empowered state. This of course is simply the power of exercise.

Rebuilding Your Muscles

Many of us stay injured because after the injury we do not build up the injured area. Who has the time right or who wants to? The problem with this is that than one is prevented from pursuing activity without weakness and is likely to re-injure the muscle sometime in the future.

Securing a stronger body, especially where injury has occurred helps to avoid pain in that area again. You should definitely see a medical doctor before going to physical therapy. The doctor will diagnose your problem and then we can usually help to fix that problem with physical therapy.

There are several exercises you can implement to help a weak back but don’t perform these exercises unless you were told by a physical therapist.

  • Abdominal Contraction (Beginner) - One important muscle to strengthen is the core. The core is lateral to your back and provides it with much support. Strengthening your core supports your back.
    • 1. To perform this exercise, lie down first. Then, tighten abdominal muscles to squeeze ribs down toward back. Hold for 10 seconds, relax, and repeat 10 times.
  • Single Knee to Chest stretch (Intermediate) - This is a stretch, not an exercise. It is key to both stretch and exercise the back. Single Knee to Chest stretches the back to keep back muscles loose while healing
    • 1. First, lie on your back with both knee bent and feet on the floor. Next, hold thigh behind knee and bring one knee up to chest.

Physical Therapy is one of the most effective treatments to heal lower back pain and injury. Please implement these exercises only after being advised by a physical therapist or doctor. It is possible to do exercises incorrectly and injure yourself further. In most cases, our physical therapy is covered by insurance.

Call 718-835-0084 and schedule a visit.