Lower back pain can be a constant source of discomfort and frustration–as one of our recent patients, a woman we’ll call Sarah, recently discovered. One approach that helped Sarah was manual therapy for lower back pain. This hands-on technique, performed by skilled physical therapists at Balance Rehabilitation & Health Science, can significantly reduce pain and improve mobility.
Sarah was a busy professional in her early 50s who had been struggling with persistent lower back pain for the last two years. She tried to ignore it at first, but the pain lingered and began impacting her quality of life.
After trying several treatments to no avail, Sarah decided to visit Balance Rehabilitation & Health Science. We started by assessing her symptoms and health history to determine the source of her back pain, ultimately determining that a sedentary lifestyle was straining her lower back. While exercise would help in the long term, we recommended manual therapy to address her pain directly.
Manual therapy involves the therapist manipulating muscles and joints with their hands, reducing tension and improving function. Combined with other physical therapy techniques like targeted exercises and stretches, it can be incredibly effective. For example, we also included posture correction and core strengthening exercises in Sarah’s treatment plan.
Over several weeks, Sarah noticed a significant reduction in her pain. Her experience highlights the potential of manual therapy to provide lasting relief and improve overall well-being for those suffering from lower back pain.
Today, we want to explore manual therapy for lower back pain in more depth, including some of the specific techniques we use to alleviate lower back discomfort. Keep reading to learn more!
What Manual Therapy Techniques Address Lower Back Pain?
Manual therapy is an umbrella term that refers to several hands-on techniques. Here are some of the ones we use when addressing lower back pain:
Spinal Mobilization
- During spinal mobilization, our physical therapists carefully guide your spine joints through their available range of motion, gradually improving your overall spinal mobility so you can move more freely and comfortably.
Spinal Manipulation
- This technique is similar to spinal mobilization but involves a controlled, quick thrust to your spinal joints, often resulting in an audible “pop.” It can improve joint function and often provides immediate pain relief for some patients.
Soft Tissue Mobilization
- This method involves massaging and manipulating the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) around the lower back to improve mobility, reduce pain, and boost blood circulation to the area, which can help facilitate healing processes if you’ve suffered a back injury.
Myofascial Release
- This technique involves applying gentle, sustained pressure to the connective tissues around muscles, called myofascia. It helps release myofascia restrictions, reducing pain and improving mobility. Myofascial release can be particularly effective in alleviating chronic lower back pain.
Manual Therapy: Part of a Comprehensive Program for Treating Lower Back Pain
The goal of manual therapy for lower back pain is to help prepare your body for more intense treatments, such as therapeutic exercise. Sarah’s experience is quite typical: her lower back pain stemmed from the long hours she spent working in front of a computer, but the pain kept her from exercising the way she wanted.
Manual therapy alleviated her pain enough for her to begin working through the targeted exercise program the Balance Rehabilitation & Health Science physical therapists developed for her. As with most cases of back pain, we focused on strengthening her core, which helps remove pressure from the lumbar spine. We also worked with her to develop a regular exercise routine to keep her moving outside the clinic.
If you’re struggling with lower back pain, manual therapy could be the missing piece in your pain management puzzle. Schedule an appointment with us today to get started!
