Check your calendar. Your low back pain has it lasted more than two weeks?
It may be that your doctor refers you to a physical therapy. What is Physical Therapy (PT)? Why is physical therapy important? What does physical therapy involve? Does physical therapy work?
These questions were answered by Dr. Brandon Claflin, a pain management specialist from Oklahoma.
Physical therapy includes a variety of techniques, such as massages, heat treatments, exercise, electrical stimulations, aquatic therapy, bicycles, treadmills and others, that are used to regain functionality following an injury. Dr. Brandon Claflin from Oklahoma said that getting patients back to their jobs is the primary goal.
He said that a secondary purpose of physical treatment is to reduce dependency on opioids and to have advanced imaging services.
Dr. Brandon Claflin’s opinion on physical therapy is supported by studies
According to Dr. Bianca Frogner of the University of Washington School of Medicine, all 50 states in the U.S. are entitled to receive some form of physical therapy without a referral from a physician. Some insurance companies may require an additional payment to cover this type pain treatment. This can discourage patients from opting for it.
The study of Dr. Frogner revealed that the likelihood of receiving an opioid prescription, of having advanced imaging done, and of visiting an emergency room was reduced by 15 percent. Physical therapy early in the patient’s care was responsible for all of these outcomes. In addition, the study showed that patients reduced their costs through spending less money on pharmacy and outpatient expenses. Exercise as prescribed is the best way to care for yourself.
Similar findings have been reported in other studies, including one published in Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (2018). In this study, 46,914 participants reported that patients who received PT within 3 days had consistently the lowest costs and healthcare utilization. A study in the United Kingdom recommended physical therapy be administered within two to four week of seeing a primary physician.
Why Physical Therapy?
During the initial visit, physical therapy for a patient may or may be recommended. Dr. Brandon Claflin from Oklahoma said that the exercises used condition muscles, restore strength and help regain lost movement.
The types of exercises used may be a repetitive range of motion exercises, stabilization exercises, and manipulative/mobilization exercises. When a spinal stenosis or disc bulge is pressing on a nervous, repetitive range of motion exercise is used.
If the pain increases when the patient bends backward, it is recommended to perform repetitive exercises that bend the patient backward. This exercise helps to open up the area of the nerve that is compressed.
Stabilization exercise will help to retrain deep muscles in the spine. When there is backache, the deep muscles cannot stabilize the spine due to being too weak or firing incorrectly. The muscles above the deep muscles can become tense and tightly drawn. This causes additional pain.
Manipulation/mobilization exercises are short, rapid movements over a joint for the purpose of getting back the range of motion the joint is supposed to have.
Physical therapists or chiropractors create a complete rehabilitation program that includes other methods of physical therapy. Physical therapy can make a big difference to the quality of life of patients in certain conditions. When it comes to back pain, however, you can expect significant improvements.
Telemedicine and other innovative technologies may have been used by some physical therapy programs to upgrade their methods of physical therapy. Physical therapy that is enhanced may be a fun way to treat low back pain.
When does Dr. Brandon Claflin from Oklahoma believe it’s time to get PT after seeing your primary doctor?
When physical therapy doesn’t work, it might be time to consult a doctor. “Patients usually seek out a pain management expert after their primary doctor has failed to provide satisfactory results,” said Dr. Brandon Claflin, based in Oklahoma.
If a treatment doesn’t work, there are other treatments that can be tried. If you have tried physical therapy and injections, but the pain has not improved, then it is time to consult other specialists or order additional diagnostic tests. It allows us to regroup, reevaluate and continue moving forward.” he added.
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Physical therapy should be used at the start of a treatment plan to treat low back pain. It can be done before or after a visit to a primary physician. Physical therapy may include three types of exercises – repetitive motion, stabilization, and manipulation/mobilization, as well as heat, ultrasound, electrical therapies, and bikes/treadmills. Physical therapy programs are often designed to improve patient life and lower health care costs.
