First Health Physical Therapy and Back Injuries
At First Health Physical Therapy, back pain physical therapy in NYC, we pride ourselves on offering the best orthopedic and sports medicine around.
Our main goal is to improve your athletic performance and get you back on your feet after an injury as soon as possible. We offer one-on-one sessions with highly trained professionals who provide our clients with evidence-based workouts that produce proven results. We are not just here for sports rehabilitation therapy. Also, we offer basic physical therapy stemming from all different kinds of injuries. These injuries may include ankle injuries, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip injuries, elbow injuries, knee injuries, and sometimes most prominently, back injuries. Here at First Health Physical Therapy, our back pain physical therapy in NYC, is more than qualified to tackle the toughest cases for back pain. Please visit our website for more information about the types of back injuries we are qualified to treat.
First Health Physical Therapy and Back Injuries
Here we see all types of back-related issues. These include a herniated disk caused by wear and tear of the disk and can also lead to spinal damage if not treated properly. We also deal with lumbar strains, which are muscle strains that occur when the muscle fibers are stretched to the point of tearing. Other injuries include lumbar radiculitis, an inflammation of the nerve root in the lower spine. To combat any of these back issues, our highly efficient and adequate physical therapists will work hand in hand in integrated spaces to get you back to normal. Once your physical therapy is complete, we offer an after physical therapy fitness program, a more basic and generic fitness model that is very effective post-physical therapy regardless of your specific injury.
Back Pain Self-Care Tips
The first step to treating your back pain at home away from the doctor’s facility is to keep moving simply, and keeping your body physically active, even if it’s as little as one 30 minutes a day, can make a tremendous difference. It is a common misconception that you need more rest after a back injury, but we’re here to clear that up for you. We also recommend that you perform certain stretches every day. At what point in the day you perform these stretches depends entirely on your age. If you are younger, we recommend performing these exercises early in the morning. If you are in your 50s or older, depending on the severity of your injury and your overall physical health in general, we recommend you do these stretches later in the day.
Keeping good posture is critical in easing pain in your lower back. You can use tape, straps, or stretchy bands to help keep spine alignment. We also highly recommend you keep a steady diet and keep your weight reasonable. People who weigh more are significantly more likely to struggle with back-related issues.
BACK PAIN QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE
One way you may not know that has a certain effect on your back situation is whether you are a smoker or not. Suppose you are a heavy smoker and you are experiencing back-related issues. In that case, we highly recommend you cut back on smoking because it debilitates the very same energy you need to stay active and keep your back healthy. We also recommend the basics like ice and heat and rub-on medication creams.
Contact Our Back Pain Physical Therapy in NYC
If you have any questions regarding back pain or any other physical issues you may be experiencing, our back pain physical therapy in NYC, can answer your questions and schedule an appointment if necessary. Please visit First Health Physical Therapy website to book an appointment with our staff today!
Back pain can come from a myriad of things:
- Muscle or ligament strain– heavy lifting or awkward movements that can strain the back muscles and spinal ligament.
- Bulging or ruptured disks- the soft material in the disks in your spin can bulge or rupture, pressing on a nerve causing back pain. Also, consider that bulging or rupturing can occur without any pain.
- Arthritis- can cause a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord. This condition is known as spinal stenosis.
- Osteoporosis-your spine’s vertebrae can develop painful fractures if one’s bones become brittle.
Can footwear cause back pain?
Feet form the foundation of the spine. Wearing shoes that don’t properly support your body can cause back pain. The biggest offender is high heels. Heels that exceed 1.5 to 2 inches cause your body to take an uncomfortable posture. Heels push your chest and pelvis forward. This throws off the alignment of your spine putting your back muscles under discomfort. This can grossly mess with your spine causing back pain that goes all the way to your legs.
What to do to help?
Getting rid of or limiting the frequency that you wear heels can help drastically. When wearing heels, do these to help with the discomfort:
- Try not to wear heels for an extended period.
- Alternating between heels and flats can help.
- Wear heels with the no more than two inches
- Don’t wear heels with pointing toes. It can crow your feet, making the pain worse.
- Perform calf muscle stretches before and, if possible, during the day.
These are just a few ways to limit back pain while wearing high heels.
How Can Our Back Pain Physical Therapy in NYC Help?
Here at First Health PT, we offer expert care to help you with your back pain. Our back pain physical therapy in NYC helps patients that suffer from back pain. So if you are suffering from back pain, contact us today to see how we can help.
Along our backs, what makes up our spines are 24 discs that absorb damage when hit and allows the back to bend and twist, allowing us to perform a multitude of daily tasks throughout the day essentially. However, you may have heard of or are currently experiencing a herniated disc when the gel-like substance in one of the spinal discs that protect us from damaging leaks, a part of our back (or in dire circumstances, multiple discs) is more susceptible to pressure and hurts immensely upon impact from anything. At First Health, a back pain physical therapy in NYC, we aim to ensure that herniated discs are treated correctly. Contact us today to see how we can help!
Causes of Herniated Discs
As you may have already guessed, our 24 spinal discs can be herniated by direct force against the spine. While this may be true, there are many other ways our discs can become herniated, one of which is simply aging. However, it may go even further than that. Causes include, but are not limited to:
- Excessive body weight (obesity)
- Employment in a back-intensive occupation (heavy lifting, constant activity)
- Genetics
- Smoking, decreasing oxygen consumption for the discs
While these causes are likely, the most common way of having a herniated disc is either from repeated heavy strains for the back or simply being more susceptible to having one as you age, with herniated discs most common among the elderly. You become less flexible as you age, increasing the stiffness of your back. At First Health, a back pain physical therapy in NYC, we can quickly remedy why and build you back up as best as possible.
Symptoms Of A Herniated Disc
While herniated discs are often associated exclusively with the back, they may also affect the neck, given how the discs are along the vertebrae and stop just at the top of the neck. Several symptoms come with herniated discs, yet the most common include:
- Arm/Leg Pain (the lower your herniated disc, the more areas surrounding it such as the thigh or buttocks will hurt, as is the case the higher the herniated disc is)
- Numbing/Tingling Sensations
- Weakness (depending on what nerves are affected that are connected to the herniated disc)
Herniated discs are certainly not the most destructive affliction to your muscles and bones, but they are undoubtedly potent. They can leave permanent damage behind if not treated effectively and quickly. First Health Physical Therapy, back pain physical therapy in NYC, is always here to help.
Do Herniated Discs Go Away On Their Own?
In most cases, yes, they do end up going away. But, it depends on the severity of your herniated disc. Surgical measures may be necessary. Most herniated discs heal and leave after six months. Doctors will often prescribe over-the-counter medications that help combat the pain and discomfort that come with herniated discs. However, should those not work, physical therapy comes into play. Luckily for you, First Health Physical Therapy, a low back physical therapy in NYC, takes care of just that. Unfortunately, it should not be even physical therapy to cure your pain; surgery comes next. The order of treatment goes from medications to therapy to surgery. If you are finding moving around and being active becoming progressively more difficult, even with medications and therapy, or if a doctor believes that the spinal cord holding all of the discs is being compressed, a doctor will often recommend surgery.
Contact Our Back Pain Physical Therapy
Herniated discs may repeat themselves as you get older, so knowing how to combat them correctly can make all the difference. However, the best advice for these cases is to wait for the doctor to assess the conditions. Contacting our First Health’s back pain physical therapy in NYC is the first step to making your pain go entirely away. We are located in Midtown, New York City. Contact us today to see how we can help!