Back Pain
Back pain has a way of becoming just how things are, and most people who've lived with it for a while have already tried something that didn't fix it.
We see patients who've been through months of adjustments with no measurement taken at any point, an exercise sheet that never changed even after weeks with no progress, or a surgeon's recommendation they're not ready to accept. Some of our own patients carried back pain for years, in one case eight, before finding out what was actually causing it.
Why Back Pain Gets Misdiagnosed
Back pain can come from a disc, a joint, a muscle imbalance, or a movement pattern that overloads one area to compensate for weakness somewhere else. The same complaint, pain that flares when bending or lifting, can trace back to entirely different causes in two different people.
Treating "back pain" as one thing usually means treating a guess. We test first so treatment is aimed at what we actually find.
How We Evaluate It
We run strength testing on the muscles supporting the spine, which returns a percentile against your age group, range of motion testing through the low back, and video analysis of the specific movement that triggers your pain, whether that's bending, lifting, or sitting for long periods.
You see the same numbers we see before we talk about treatment.
What Back Pain Can Mean
Disc irritation, joint restriction in the spine, muscle strain, sciatica, and compensation patterns from a weak hip or core can all present as back pain. Some of these respond well to conservative treatment. Some need imaging or a surgical consult, and we tell you plainly if that's the case.
I had a severe back injury when I was a teenager and have been receiving extensive therapy and treatments and had a cervical and lumbar fusion 2004 and 2005. I have had MANY Physical Therapy treatments but NONE OF THEM COMPARE TO RxRehab's evaluation, consultation and treatments!! To date Scott and his staff have treated both of my torn rotator cuffs, my back and neck and now at age 68 I am pain free and more flexible than I have been since I was in my 40's.
How We Treat It
Once we know what we're treating, your plan can include manual therapy such as spinal joint mobilization or dry needling, therapeutic exercise targeted at the specific weakness or restriction we found, and a home program you do between visits.
We re-measure your strength and movement against your original numbers as you progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need surgery for back pain?
Not always. Surgery gets recommended in this valley for back problems that conservative care resolves. Testing tells us whether your case is one of them, and if it isn't, we say so and make the referral.
- How long does back pain take to resolve?
That depends on what the evaluation finds. You leave your first visit with a plan of care that includes an expected duration, so you're not guessing.
- What if I've already tried physical therapy for my back?
Tell us what you've already tried. A lot of what we see is a previous plan that never got re-measured against results. We start by testing what your back is actually doing now.
Know What's Wrong and What's Next
No guessing, no generic exercise sheet. Just a measured answer and a plan with your name on it.