Picture this: You’ve just finished helping your friend move into their new home, and you’re exhausted. All afternoon you’ve been lifting heavy boxes, trying to get the job done as quickly as possible so you can go home, shower, and lie down for a nap. When you arrive at your house and begin to wind down from all the movement, you notice a slight twinge of pain in your back. Oh no, you think to yourself, I must have pulled something. Great.
Back pain can be one of the most debilitating conditions, affecting up to 80 % of the population at some time in their life. For some people, when left untreated, lower back pain can even lead to long-term pain, dysfunction, and even nerve damage!
Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic in Williamsburg is proud to say that for the past 18 years, we have been treating all kinds of pain conditions and helping patients regain control over their lives. Our clinics place emphasis on the importance of movement and using exercise as medicine.
If you’ve sustained an injury to your back that keeps you from being able to comfortably partake in everyday activities, or perform your job without pain, give us a call to set up an appointment.
Common causes of back pain
You don’t have to be lifting something heavy to sustain a back injury. Several factors can contribute to back pain.
The source of the pain comes from injury or irritation of the muscles, joints (including the intervertebral discs and facet joints), nerves or surrounding ligaments, and other soft tissue.
Some of the contributing factors are often associated with back pain are:
- Improper posture or prolonged positions (i.e., prolonged sitting)
- Spinal muscle and tissue damage (i.e., lifting strains or trauma from accidents)
- Limited hip, spine, and pelvis mobility
- Limited muscle flexibility
- Spinal/pelvic muscle weaknesses (aka “core” weakness)
- Poor abdominal, pelvic and back muscle coordination (i.e., compensations due to injury)
Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t seek treatment when back pain arises. They might assume nothing—except for medication and rest—can solve their back pain problem. This simply is not the case!
Movement is the best medicine there is. Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic in Williamsburg is proud to employ top-of-the-line physical therapists and chiropractors who can take what may seem to be a hopeless situation and ultimately turn it around in our patient’s favor.
Physical therapists can help rehabilitate many different conditions and ailments while simultaneously relieving the doubt and despair a person might be feeling as they’re healing from an injury. The secret to successful rehabilitation is getting up and moving!
Chiropractors are back pain experts also. Our chiropractors utilize manual therapy and spinal manipulation, often in conjunction with therapeutic massage, to alleviate back pain and get you moving freely again.
Movement is medicine: physical therapy and injury prevention
Sure, we’d all like to think that rest is the only thing that can help us when we are hurt. This isn’t true! Here at Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic, we fully believe that movement is medicine. The more you move around, exercise, and strengthen your body, the better you will feel! Education and the recommencement of regular activities and exercise are related to decreased disability and pain levels.
How can a physical therapist or chiropractor help?
Physical therapy and chiropractic care aim to improve function and strength, and they can also prevent disability caused by back pain from getting worse.
Treatment at our clinics offers a long-term solution to back pain by using targeted strength and flexibility exercises that focus on the cause of the pain. The better your muscle development and joint movement are, the better you’ll feel.
We are skilled at hands-on manual therapy and exercise selection for the most comprehensive and appropriate intervention to help you resolve your pain and restore your function.
Your therapy treatment will focus on providing you with the best exercises and targeted stretches to help restore the muscle strength in your back as you heal, and you’ll also be asked to perform them at home to continue progress!
How can I prevent back pain? Movement is Medicine
You can train yourself to move in ways that will help you prevent back injuries and chronic pain. If you want to avoid future back pain, you can make sure you’re good to your back by doing these three things:
Limit Sitting For Too Long
Prolonged sitting is not suitable for your back or your overall health! Although adjusting your posture while sitting can be helpful, a more practical option is to stand up periodically throughout the day.
Limit your sitting to 30-45 minutes at a time. The results will be noticeable, and your back will thank you!
Use Good Posture
Our spines are designed to move – it doesn’t like to remain in any one position for a long time. Most people slouch and then hold that position for extended periods. By finding a “good” posture, you can counteract the slouch.
When you’re standing, imagine your breast bone lifting towards the sky. Imagining this will naturally cause your spine to straighten out as it lifts you, which will keep your hips, spine, shoulders, and neck aligned.
Use Strength Training
Your body has hundreds of muscles. These muscles protect and control your spine. By lifting weights, running, and swimming, you can keep them strong. Train the muscles of your hips, pelvis, and spine–your core muscles.
Contact our clinic today
Take the best possible care of yourself by allowing a physical therapist or chiropractor at Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic in Williamsburg to determine what your body needs and what areas need strengthening!
If you are dealing with chronic back pain, know that the answer to your problem lies in movement. The providers here at our clinics can help you get on the right track to moving more easily, without pain. Call Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic today for an appointment!
Tags: physical therapy, Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic, natural treatment, natural pain relief, back pain, movement, back pain relief, Chronic Back Pain, Chronic Back Pain Relief, Movement is Medicine, Chiropractic Care
