Low Back Pain Management - A Few Tips from Steve Riley, DPT

Moving into the fall season not only brings changes in temperature, but also changes in the activities we find ourselves doing. This might mean ramping up with a high school or college sport, increasing mileage to prepare for a Marathon, or simply getting ready for more raking, yard-work, and dare I say, shoveling. As we transition into new activities, the demands on our bodies also change and low back pain can be the result. We hope that you remain healthy, but if new aches, pains, or injuries arise, we’re here to help.

Low Back Pain (LBP) is the most common type of pain reported in the US. The good news is that most LBP will either resolve or improve markedly within 6 weeks. The not-so-good news is that back pain is often recurrent, meaning that it can return down the road. Things like using good posture/body mechanics, moving/exercising, and managing weight can be helpful in decreasing the likelihood of a recurrence. In certain cases, seeing a healthcare provider earlier might be necessary to expedite the recovery process. The Mayo Clinic recommends early treatment IF pain is severe—even at rest, spreads down the leg, or is accompanied by numbness/tingling or unplanned weight loss.

In most cases, it’s best to remember that LBP pain will improve and it’s better to continue to move and be active than to completely rest. Additionally, research supports exercise (trunk/core muscle strength, endurance and activation), and manual therapy (joint mobilization) with moderate to strong evidence. The literature also supports soft tissue massage and dry needling, when it is provided in addition to other exercise or manual therapy.

Moving, remaining active, working on posture and starting on exercise are some things you can do on your own. Walking and frequent position changes are often helpful. As for exercises, patients often have a directional preference, meaning those that have pain with sitting or bending forward often do well with stretching backwards. For those of advanced age, pain walking, but no pain sitting, it might mean that flexing forward helps instead. Core muscle activation (contracting or turning it on) and strengthening are often best beginning with the spine in a neutral position (rather than bending/twisting). Many supported treatments are things we can help you with in physical therapy as needed.

We hope you stay well, active, healthy and moving. If you would benefit from help with your low back, general fitness or other orthopedic issues, please feel free to reach out to us at 763-519-7900.

Kind Regards,

Steve Riley, DPT, SCS, Cert MDT