Back Pain
Back pain is the most common pain people report, and most of it is mechanical: a strained muscle, an irritated disc or stiff joints. Physical therapy finds which one is behind yours and treats it with hands-on care, exercise and training in how to move. Joint Effort Physical Therapy treats back pain in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
What is behind your low back pain
Lower back pain rarely has one cause. The plan depends on how it started, exactly where it is and your history.
Strained muscles and back spasms
Repeated bending, such as leaning down to pick up a toddler all day, or a lifting injury can leave you feeling like you pulled a muscle in your back. The muscles around the spot guard and tighten into back spasms.
Herniated disc and bulging disc
A herniated disc or a bulging disc can irritate a nearby nerve and send pain into the buttock, thigh or leg. Leg symptoms get their own page, Sciatica.
Degenerative disc disease and stenosis
Degenerative disc disease is common as we age. People with it often describe a dull, aching low back and trouble standing or walking for long. A narrowed spinal canal, called stenosis, can add leg symptoms.
Sacroiliac joint pain
The sacroiliac joint sits where the spine meets the pelvis and can cause one-sided pain low in the back and into the buttock.
Sudden pain, long-lasting pain and why moving beats resting
Back pain is called acute when it is short-term and chronic when it lasts three months or longer. Either way, it is worth treating early. Back pain that comes and goes can leave behind poor joint movement, a weak core and poor muscle coordination, and those set you up for the next injury.
For new back pain, staying active within what you can tolerate usually does more than bed rest. If the pain has become part of your life, our approach to Chronic Pain looks at the whole picture, not only the sore spot.
What happens at your first back visit
Your physical therapist asks how the pain started, what makes it worse and what you want to be able to do again. Back pain from sitting and back pain when bending tell us a lot about which tissues are irritated, so we test how you move, how strong your trunk and hips are and which direction of movement eases your symptoms.
From that we build a plan specific to your diagnosis. The first stage focuses on quick pain relief. Then we add core stabilization exercise and stretches to restore strength and range of motion and protect your spine from re-injury.
How we treat low back pain
Hands-on care
Manual therapy and spinal mobilization ease stiff joints and tight tissue so you can move more freely.
Needles, laser and traction
When it fits, we add Dry Needling for stubborn tight muscle, deep tissue laser therapy for pain, or traction to take pressure off irritated spinal structures.
Training you keep
Directional preference exercises, core strengthening and lifting and posture training for sitting at a desk or driving. Our ergonomic training covers the details.
Hips, joints, work and pregnancy
Stiff hips and pelvis often overload the low back, so we look at hip pain and flexibility together with your spine. Back pain tied to worn joints is covered under Arthritis & Joint Pain, and an injury at your job is covered under work injuries. If you are pregnant or recently had a baby, see prenatal and postpartum care or call us and we will talk through how we would approach it.
See a doctor first, or go to the ER, if you have
Most back pain is not dangerous, but these signs are not for a physical therapy visit first.
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Numbness in the groin or inner thighs
- Fever along with back pain
- Back pain after a serious fall or accident
Not sure whether your plan needs a referral? Call us. As a courtesy, we verify your health benefits before you arrive.
Back pain care in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Joint Effort Physical Therapy treats Back pain at our Hot Springs clinic, 1880 Airport Rd., Suite C.
Not sure whether your plan needs a referral? Call us. As a courtesy, we verify your health benefits before you arrive.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.