Pain in the lower back is an experience most people experience at some point in their lives. The reason for this is the fact that lower back is a converging point for various nerves, bones, muscles and tendons and there is virtually a countless number of reasons to feel pain in this part of your body.
Since there are so many potential reasons for lower back pain it is often hard to tell, without visiting a physician, what the problem is. If you feel pain in your lower back, we recommend going to see a doctor immediately. While the problems you are experiencing may just be from a slight strain, many times such pains should be medically treated. At the very least, physical therapy is prescribed to many who suffer lower back pain, while in other cases surgery may be needed.
Physical Therapy For Lower Back
When physical therapy is mentioned, most people jump to conclusion that they will be sent to a therapist who will massage their muscles and joints or do exercises with them. However, the most basic form of physical therapy is the passive physical therapy. Passive therapy may include things such as using an ice or heat pack on the affected part of the body to alleviate pains.
If the pain in your lower back is more severe and your physician feels you need more active physical therapy, you will be instructed in how to do exercises for the lower back pain or you will be sent to a practitioner who will help you with them. In the Netherlands there are a lot of good ones, for example this physical therapist (or as they would say in Holland: fysiotherapeut).
In most cases, low back pains will go away eventually with or without exercise. Proper exercise, however, will ensure you alleviate your pain faster and improve the strength of your abdominal muscles and bones so that such pain does not reoccur anytime soon.
Exercises prescribed to a patient with lower back pain will range from simple stretching exercises, which may alleviate pains caused by minor muscle atrophy or spasms caused by bad posture, to core strengthening exercises designed to really strengthen you abdominal muscles. These exercises will include the commonly used abs exercises such as sit ups or use of abdominal machines.
When Physical Therapy Fails
If the physical therapy does not yield results after some time, your physician will often send you to minor surgery. It is important to remember that prior to any kind of surgery all physical therapy options should be examined and you if prescribed a surgery, you should probably ask for a second opinion to try and find a physical therapy solution for your lower back pains.
