Here’s a fact about back pain that may bring you some comfort: it’s one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints in the world. Around 80% of people will have back pain at least once. So, if you’re suffering now, you probably aren’t the only one!

Of course, that thought does little to help if your back pain keeps you from performing day-to-day activities — as it often does. Back pain is often accompanied by mobility restrictions that make walking, rising from sitting, or bending over difficult. Physical therapy provides options to help navigate these challenges and restore function and comfort in your desired activities.

At Responsive Physical Therapy and PT Works, we understand how debilitating back pain can be. Fortunately, our team is here to help you better understand your pain and the various options available to help you heal. Ultimately, we want to help you return to the activities you love.

What Causes Back Pain?

One reason back pain is so common is that it’s associated with several different injuries, underlying conditions, or lifestyle factors. In some cases, pain may even develop due to multiple contributing factors related to the spine and surrounding tissues.

For that reason, we always take the time to evaluate your particular experience with back pain. Our therapists will perform a comprehensive evaluation to help us learn as much as possible about your condition, including assessing any underlying contributing factors and screening for any mobility limitations or weaknesses you’re struggling with. 

That way, we can provide you with the best guidance on navigating your pain and returning to daily life with confidence.

Here are some potential sources of back pain that we see at our clinic:

• Strains and Sprains: A strain occurs when you injure the muscles in your back. A sprain occurs when you injure the ligaments that link your spinal vertebrae. Both can cause pain and limited mobility. Although it is difficult to assign a specific cause, sprains and strains can occur due to several potential contributing factors, from a lack of sleep to lifting something beyond what the person’s body can tolerate. Our job is to help you understand what caused your injury.
• Bulging or Herniated Discs: Soft, flexible discs separate and cushion your spinal vertebrae. These discs can sometimes bulge outward or herniate, which occurs when the soft inner layer protrudes through a tear in the outer shell. In some cases, this may not cause any symptoms or only mild symptoms. But if that disc compresses or irritates a nearby nerve, you may experience intense, often radiating pain.
• Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the world due to degenerative changes and inflammation. While degenerative changes are normal as we age, they don’t necessarily always cause pain. However, someone with osteoarthritis may experience flares when pain becomes worse for a period of time. Physical therapy helps manage these flares so that you can return to normal function.
• Lifestyle Factors: Pain is complex, and lifestyle factors can sometimes contribute to it in surprising ways. For example, someone with a sedentary job may find that holding a sustained posture for a long period of time provokes their back pain. Even factors such as poor sleep and stressful life events can have an impact on your symptoms. Our team can help you understand these various factors and determine which ones, if any, might apply to you.