Living with a Painful Back?
PT Services Can Help with Both Back Pain and Sciatica
If you wake up in the morning with back pain or notice nagging aches in your back, buttock, or thighs, physical therapy in Ocean Pines, MD can help you find relief.
According to the American Physical Therapy Association, back pain is the most commonly reported pain across the nation, and one out of every four Americans has experienced back pain in the past three months.
While back pain and sciatica are similar, they still have their differences and are often confused with one another. Back pain is found specifically in the upper, middle or lower back. Sciatica is a more diffuse, radiating pain down the buttock, thigh, and even leg.
It is also possible to have radiculopathy, which is a radiating numbness, tingling, burning, or sharp pain to a specific part of the leg. This is often associated with a herniated disc, or entrapment of the nerve in that area, as it exits the spine.
If you are suffering from back pain or sciatica, don’t rely on medicines to help you mask the pain. At Back In Action Physical Therapy, our Ocean Pines, MD physical therapists will get to the root of the problem and provide long-lasting relief.
In many cases, our treatments are even able to eliminate the need for harmful painkilling drugs, such as opioids, or an invasive surgical procedure.
Understanding the Difference between Back Pain and Sciatica
Sciatica
People with sciatica experience pain along the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body. The sciatic nerve begins at your lower back and then splits at the base of your spine to extend further down to your buttocks, legs, and finally ends at the bottom of each foot. The sciatic nerve can become compressed or irritated, which causes a “shooting,” “stinging,” or “burning” sensation in your lower back, buttocks, legs, or feet.
Back Pain
“Back pain” is a term that can be caused by an array of different conditions. For example, you may experience back pain due to poor posture, a motor vehicle accident, or a lifting injury. The treatment plan that our Ocean Pines, MD physical therapist sets up for you, will depend on how you developed the back pain, in addition to its exact location and your past medical history. Back pain can be described as acute, meaning it is short-term, or chronic, meaning it is long-term.
What caused my back pain/sciatica?
General back pain typically develops as the result of an injury. This can be due to repetitive straining motions, such as leaning down multiple times throughout the day to pick up a toddler, or a more serious, sudden trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident.
Underlying conditions, such as herniated discs, can also cause immense pain, and cause radiculopathy pain to the thigh, leg, or foot. Degenerative disc disease is a common condition as we age, which can result in back pain. Those with this condition typically report dull, aching pains in their lower back, and have difficulty with prolonged standing or walking.
Sciatica’s technical name is “lumbar radiculopathy.” People who develop this condition are generally between the ages of 30 and 50. Many different types of injuries can cause the development of sciatica, including arthritis, bone spurs, or any other injury that impacts the sciatic nerve.
Most commonly, we find that people lose their flexibility in the hips and pelvis, which causes the gluteus and hip muscles to become tightened. This, in turn, alters the mechanics of the spine and compresses the sciatic nerve as it travels through these tissues.
“I Experienced Significant Improvement In My Movement”
When I first went to Back in Action Physical Therapy a few months ago, I was having difficulty walking, my back was bent forward when standing, and I was experiencing nightly discomfort in my legs and my back. Very quickly, doing the exercises that Sandra Kappes provided, I experienced significant improvement in my movement and was able to sleep without pain.
– Patricia D.
How will physical therapy help with back pain or sciatica?
While back pain may come and go, it is always important to treat it right away. If not, it can lead to poor joint movement, core weakness, and poor muscle coordination, which can all lead to unwanted injuries in the future.
The early stages of your physical therapy treatment will focus on quick pain relief. Afterward, our physical therapist will expand your treatment to include strengthening your core muscle group with specific therapeutic exercises and stretches.
Back pain and sciatica are both completely treatable through physical therapy. Our Ocean Pines, MD physical therapist will create a specific treatment plan for you based upon your diagnosis.
This helps improve your strength and range of motion to prevent re-injury of your spine. Our physical therapist will also provide you with ergonomic techniques for taking care of your spine during daily activities, such as sitting at a desk or driving.
For the treatment of sciatica, our physical therapists will implement specific leg stretches into your treatment plan to loosen the sciatic nerve. This restores the natural health of the nerve and quickly reduces symptoms.