Debra Said:

Physical Therapy lower back?

We Answered:

I am losing respect for many drs....it seems obvious that you have a disc issue and it needs to be treated as such BUT in our medical care providers infinite wisdom they will always try to make you go through physical therapy and it never, I repeat NEVER works, it's a scam. Your doc needs a wake up call or you need a new doc, exaggerate your pain if necessary, your doc isn't hearing you. I hope you can go to another dr., this one isn't for you. You are way too young to have this problem.

Have you tried a chiropractor?...good luck, make em listen.

Vera Said:

What do they do in physical therapy for back?

We Answered:

The scientific evidence strongly suggests that physical therapy begin during the acute or subacute phase, not after the back is healed or chronic. Here's a good article on the subject (seems to have developed some technical glitch int the text, but you can just ignore the odd characters and still read it):
http://www.balancedpt.com/2008/08/29/spi…

Different physical therapists have different approaches, but the scientific literature seems to suggest that the most effective elements are range of motion exercises for the spine, and strengthening and conditioning for back extensor muscles. That means bending backwards and sideways. Older approaches that seem to have proven less effective are general aerobic conditioning combined with abdominal strengthening (in other words: bending forward and aerobics). Here's an article addressing the scientific literature on the subject and again addressing the when PT should begin question:

http://www.balancedpt.com/2008/08/29/low…

Possible pysical therapy treatments include:
Back exercises
Massage
Manipulation/Mobilization of your spine (like a chiropractor)
A table that stabilizes your upper body while moving your lower body
Heat methods

Brett Said:

Middle back pain go to chiropractor or physical therapy? Are chiropractors butchers and can they aggravate it?

We Answered:

Both can help you, and you can go to both at the same time, if you want. As for what will work best, it depends on your situation and what is causing the pain. A good chiropractor will x-ray your spine, then go over the x-rays with you to show you where and what the problem is. They will also explain exactly what they're going to do to help you. How long you have to go also depends on your situation. I first went to a chiropractor at someone's suggestion when my neck became so stiff and painful that I could barely turn my head from side to side. This went on for months. I felt 75% better after my very first chiro. visit. I went every week for a while, then every 2 weeks, and gradually decreased to once in a great while. Currently, I am back to every 2 weeks because I aggravate my condition with hours of computer work, and not enough exercise. A good chiropractor could have you feeling much, much better in minutes. See if you can find someone highly recommended by someone you know. Or make an appointment with a couple of them and just talk--see who you are most comfortable with. Like every profession, there are good and bad, but the fact is, a good one can make the pain go away. Without drugs. What could be better than that?

Kenneth Said:

Sites for back pain and therapy?

We Answered:

try yoga

Jeffrey Said:

why does physical therapy cause so much pain ?

We Answered:

Along the lines with what creed said, it's somewhat acceptable for there to be pain during and exercise, but it should subside back to baseline within about 15 minutes after the treatment. If not, he's being pushed too hard. Also, to clarify what creed said, we might have to consider that it's not the exercise, but what is being done AFTER he leaves the clinic which may be a concern. I've witnessed the case where a patient leaves the clinic without pain, only to be in "severe pain" several hours later or the next day. The patients invariably always blame the exercise, but when pressed for a little more information, they often reveal that once they left the clinic they go home and lie on the couch or play on the computer the rest of the day...with very poor posture. Once we educate them about that, the severe pain after treatment is often suddenly gone.

The only other thing after that is the consideration if he's having back and leg pain. If he's been have a "sciatica" type of problem but the leg pain is lessening but has more back pain after treatment, this is a sign of improvement called "centralizing" which has been studied by many researchers such as Mark Werneke and is a predictor of good results.

So, consider the information above, if it does not apply to your family member, I would consider a different therapist.

Duane Said:

i have lower back pain its been 8 months i have been doing physical therapy and i have a MRI stating?

We Answered:

Since you are posting here, I'm assuming you are not having any relief from physical therapy. My next question would be: what are you doing in physical therapy? While it's possible that this 5 mm protrusion MIGHT be irreducible with PT alone, I would suggest you see a PT who is certified in mechanical diagnosis and therapy. You can find one at www.mckenziemdt.org

...the above poster does make a good point that a series of injecitons might be in order...especially if you are not currently benefitting from PT. It often becomes much more successful once the inflammation is mitigated.