When you experience low back pain lasting two to six weeks, or when the episodes are frequently occurring, physical therapy in Sullivan County is often recommended. A few spine specialists consider physical therapy much sooner, especially if your pain is severe. The physical therapist’s main goal is to help decrease your pain, increase your ability to function normally, as well as provide education or some type of maintenance program to help you deal with future occurrences.
Physical therapy in Sullivan County programs, as used in the treatment of low back pain, have two components:
1. Passive therapy that helps decrease a patient’s pain to a manageable level
2. Active exercise
The Modalities of Passive Physical Therapy
Your physical therapist may choose passive physical therapy to help decrease pain. The passive therapy is considered “passive” since the treatments are done to a patient. Some of the different types of treatments are:
* Heat/ice packs -;
* The heat and cold therapy is easily available and the most common in the industry. While some patients will find relief from pain from heat packs, others will find relief through ice massage.
* Lontophoresis -;
* Lontophoresis is the delivery of steroids through the skin. Once the steroid is applied, an electric current is added to help it be absorbed by your skin. The steroid process is most effective as an anti-inflammatory agent, and quite effective in the relief of acute episodes of pain.
* Ultrasound -;
* Ultrasound is a variation of deep heating where sound waves applied to your skin to penetrate the soft tissues. The treatment helps enhance tissue healing and releave acute pain episodes.
Active Physical Therapy
Exercise (or active physical therapy) is also essential for the rehabilitation of the spine. The exercise program generally includes a combination of:
* Stretching -;
* Generally, if you have suffered from lower back pain, you should stretch your muscles at least once or twice every day. Muscle stretching exercises should be done such that they become a part of your daily routine.
* Strengthening -;
* In order to strengthen your back muscles, dynamic lumbar stabilization is required for 15 to 20 minutes daily.
* Low-impact aerobics -;
* For long-term pain reduction, low impact aerobic conditioning should be done three times per week for 30 to 40 minutes per session. Simple exercises like swimming, bicycling and walking should be sufficient.
These exercises suffice as physical therapy in Sullivan County NY. More information on physical therapy can be found at For additional information, go to visit us website.