Back Pain? Physical Therapy Can Help!

Back pain can be excruciating and unrelenting, and hinder your ability to move freely and enjoy the activities you love. In fact, low-back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Over 31 million Americans experience back pain at any given time. Additionally, back pain is the most common reason for missed work. Resulting in a cost of over $100 billion in lost wages and healthcare costs for Americans each year.

Many people endure their symptoms or turn to surgery or opioids for pain-relief.  However, these treatments often provide only short-term relief and can have major side effects that can impact health. However, there are other options! Physical therapy is a proven non-invasive treatment to reduce the symptoms of back pain for many individuals. In fact, The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommends that patients suffering from low back pain pursue conservative forms of treatment prior to seeking surgical or medicinal intervention.

Protect Your Back and Your Wallet

It will come as no shock that medical care can be expensive. For example, one study showed patients who received an MRI spent on average $4,793 more than those assessed and treated by a physical therapist first (and all received similar recovery outcomes). In another study, the American Physical Therapy Association’s analysis showed that people who “received physical therapy within the first 15 days of diagnosis incurred lower average treatment costs than those whose physical therapy began later, and those savings continued through the 12-month study period.”

4 Common Back Diagnoses We Treat at Bay State Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can give long-term relief from pain by increasing strength around the afflicted areas, improving mobility and function, and enhancing endurance and flexibility.

Disc degeneration, herniated discs, sciatica, and spinal stenosis are common conditions of the back that benefit from physical therapy. Click a condition to learn more about it!

Take Action To Get Moving Again

If you have low back pain that doesn’t resolve with a couple days of rest,  it’s a safe bet that physical therapy can help! Physical therapists are experts in movement and can work with you to help you return to work, exercise, or whatever you are missing out on.

Ready To Get Started?

Request an appointment by submitting the form below or call any Bay State Physical Therapy location.

Resources:

• https://www.thelancet.com/gbd
• https://www.ahrq.gov/
• https://www.choosept.com/symptomsconditionsdetail/physical-therapy-guide-to-low-back-pain