Physical Therapy for an Injured Spine or Back

The human form is designed by nature for a lifetime of walking upright on two legs, and our early primate ancestors adopted this form so that they could run and chase game across the plains of prehistoric Africa. This results in a skeleton featuring an S-shaped spine, long and hard leg bones, arched feet, and an upright pelvis. Standing upright like this makes running easier and provided early humanity with many advantages, though standing upright does take its toll on the body. Even today, many people suffer from chronic pain in their spine or lower back, their hips or knees, and their ankles. Fortunately, surgery is only necessary for severe cases, and modern rehab tools and systems such as activator spinal adjustment devices can help a patient recover with non invasive methods. A hospital’s physical therapy staff will use activator spinal adjustment devices and range of motion data analysis to help a patient recover, while a chiropractor may need only their bare hands to help a patient recover from back issues.

Common Causes of Back Pain

Every year, many studies and surveys are done to track the current state of public health in the United States, and of course, this includes lower back pain and joint distress. After all, chronic back pain ranks second among the most common reasons Americans visit their doctors (behind upper respiratory issues). A person may suffer back pain after a sports accident or after getting into a car accident, for example, and the physical trauma can harm their back muscles or spinal cord. Many surveys show that some Americans blame ongoing stress for their back pain, and a pregnant woman may experience spinal pain at some point during her pregnancy. Meanwhile, years of hard manual labor work, such as in construction, can certainly wear out a person’s spine and back (and other joints), which is likely to cause chronic pain later in life. Lastly, the elderly often suffer back pain, since many years of back pain compresses the spine and causes it to bend forwards somewhat. This will inflame and distress the spine’s joints, and this may also pinch nerves and cramp muscles.

The numbers show that at any given time, some 31 million Americans are suffering from chronic back pain at any given time, and this may affect one in three women and one in four men. Experts also say that around 80% of the population will experience back pain symptoms at some point in their lives. Studies have also shown that around 50% of all working class Americans report back pain problems every year. It is little wonder that so many Americans are visiting their doctors or even going straight to chiropractor offices to get help, and non invasive medicine can go a long way in clearing up back pain and addressing sore or stiff joints. How might this work?

Physical Therapy Done Right

A hospital patient who is recovering after trauma will probably undergo physical therapy with the aid of therapists, and this means performing a variety of exercises and other activities to regain balance, strength, and mobility. Automatic strength tests can be performed with handheld devices, and activator spinal adjustment devices can also be used. An activator spinal adjustment device will apply simple physical force to the patient’s spine in a small target location, not unlike a knee tap reflex test. This can help restore mobility to the vertebrae, and the quickless of the administered blow helps prevent the body from tensing its muscles and blocking the device’s effects. A patient may also stretch out cords or elastic band to demonstrate their current strength, arcs of motion, and pain thresholds, and the therapist can capture the patient’s movements with motion capture cameras. Then, with specialized software, the therapist can study the data and track the patient’s recovery.

Meanwhile, a patient visit a chiropractor, who will use simple chiropractic adjustment tools and even their bare hands to readjust a patient’s bones and muscles, relieving pressure from pinched nerves and cramped muscles. This can also restore the patient’s flexibility and arcs of motion, and a patient can get similar results if they sign up for private yoga sessions and perform various stretches and poses with a yoga expert’s guidance.