The Benefits of Physical Therapy for Back Pain

Surgery has long been the preferred treatment of many doctors for a variety of back problems, including spinal stenosis, lordosis and kyphosis, and many other back issues that can cause pain in patients.

However, all back surgeries are heavily invasive, as doctors must deal with the fragile nerves of your spinal cord, which are surrounded by the vertebrae on which they are operating. Because of this, recovery time after surgery is often very long, and complications resulting from back surgery are commonplace. These complications can include:

1. Repeat surgery
2. Infection from the surgical procedure
3. Worsening of symptoms

Because of this, more physicians are beginning to recommend physical therapy as an alternative to surgery. For many conditions, such as mild spinal stenosis, physical therapy can help patients regain strength, minimize pain, and live better, more normal lives. Let’s take a look at the benefits of physical therapy for back pain.

Physical Therapy Allows You to Live a Normal Life

Surgery isn’t just invasive – it’s time-consuming. The surgical intake process, surgery itself, and surgical recovery process can take weeks – or even months, if you develop complications from your surgical procedure.

Physical therapy that’s designed for your specific back problem allows you to continue living a normal life, even as you start to recover. With only a few sessions per week, you can begin regaining normal feeling and minimizing the pain that you feel in your back, and live your normal life – without the interruption of a painful, complicated surgical procedure.

Physical Therapy Can Be Customized to Your Needs

The best thing about a great physical therapy regimen is that it’s never one-size-fits-all. Physical therapists recognize that each patient is different, and can design a physical therapy regimen that fits your age, your physical fitness level, and the amount of time that you have, to dedicate to your physical therapy and recovery process.

This allows you to get the right treatment for your particular needs – not just some one-size-fits-all, invasive surgery.

Choose Physical Therapy – And Get Your Life Back to Normal

Now, physical therapy isn’t always the right choice. For some back problems, surgery is the only option.

However, many issues where patients are suffering from mild back problems and weakness can be solved with a smart physical therapy regimen, without the need for a painful and invasive surgery that disrupts your life.

So, before you agree to go under the knife for your back pain, talk to your physician or your physical therapist about alternative methods by which you can deal with your pain, and get back to normal. A smart physical therapy regimen could be just what you need to deal with your long-term back pain.

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