• Conditions Treated
• Elbow Conditions
  • Golfer’s Elbow
  • Little Leaguer’s Elbow
  • Tennis Elbow
• Foot and Ankle Dysfunctions
  • Ankle Fracture
  • Ankle Sprain
  • Calf Strain
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Shin Splint
• Hand Injuries
  • Boutonniere Deformity
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
  • DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis
  • Wrist Fracture
• Hip and Thigh Conditions
  • Hamstring Strain
  • Hip Replacement
• Knee Pain
  • ACL Injuries
  • ITB Syndrome
  • Knee Replacement
  • Patella Tendinitis
• Shoulder Injuries
  • Dislocated Shoulder
  • Frozen Shoulder
  • Rotator Cuff Tear
  • Shoulder Tendinitis
• Spinal Conditions
  • Back Pain
    • Preventing Back Pain
  • Cervical Strain
  • Headache
  • Herniated Disk
  • Neck Pain
    • Preventing Neck Pain
  • Sciatica
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Spondylolisthesis
• Other Conditions
  • Arthritis
  • Chronic Pelvic Pain
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Lymphedema
  • Osteoporosis
  • TMJ Dysfunction
  • Urinary Incontinence

Back Pain

Back pain is the body’s natural response to injury or degenerative conditions of the spine. It is a common condition that affects 8 out of 10 people during their lives.¹ Most back pain resolves over time; however, fifty percent of people will experience a recurrence of their back pain during their lifetime. Fortunately, research has shown that early education about your condition and conservative treatment can help reduce your pain and risk of recurrence.

Acute pain vs. chronic pain

Acute back pain is commonly described as sharp and severe, but it may also be characterized by a dull ache. The pain tends to come on suddenly but improves with time and conservative treatment. Acute back pain may be accompanied by nerve symptoms that cause pain in one or both legs.

Chronic back pain describes pain that lingers more than three months. Chronic pain is commonly described as a deep, aching, dull or burning pain and may be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and/or weakness that extends into the extremities. Symptoms are persistent and psychosocial factors become more important and must be addressed.

Common causes of back pain

Back pain is most commonly caused by the muscles, ligaments, and joints (such as the facets and/or the disk joint) in your back. The pain may be most severe immediately after injury, or it may worsen gradually over a few hours. Overstretched muscles (strains) or ligaments (sprains), and irritation of the joints that cause back pain, may be the result of activities such as improper lifting and bending, sports injury or fall, sleeping position, poor sitting or standing posture, and reaching forward.

People who suffer from back problems may also be experiencing mechanical pain. In these instances, a specific part of their spine, such as an intervertebral disk, a ligament, or a joint, is irritated or damaged and is not working correctly. Spinal causes of mechanical back pain include herniated disk, arthritis, and spinal stenosis.

During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is produced. This hormone can cause the joints in the lumbar spine and the sacral/iliac joint to become hypermobile and predispose women to lower back pain. Stress and muscle tension can also cause or excaberate back pain during pregnancy.

Risk factors

Certain factors can increase a person’s risk of having back pain. These factors include increasing age, poor physical fitness, excess weight, diabetes, poor posture, and improper body mechanics.

SSPT’s approach to treating back pain

Physical therapy treatment can provide relief for people suffering from both acute and chronic back pain. Our therapists assess the cause and type of pain in order to determine the most effective treatment for you.

Pain that is the result of strains and sprains will usually resolve with a conservative course of treatment within two to six weeks (provided there are no serious underlying medical conditions). If you experience chronic pain, it may be difficult to completely eradicate the pain; however, you can learn to manage and control your pain.

Your therapy for back pain may include:

• Education about your condition
• Advice about early activity
• Joint and soft tissue mobilization
• Stabilization and stretching exercises
• Trigger point dry needling
• Manual traction
• Ergonomic and posture body mechanics advice
• Electric nerve stimulation (or TENS)
• Ultrasound

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¹National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Handout on Health: Back Pain. NIH Publication No. 05-5282. September 2005.