Dealing With Lower Back Arthritis: Signs to Look Out for, and Physical Therapy Benefits
Back pain is one of the biggest health issues in the world, and lower back arthritis is often a culprit. Osteoarthritis is a typical diagnosis with pain sometimes seeming like a losing battle. If you’ve recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, it’s time to look into ways to alleviate your pain.
Without taking some serious action, you may end up taking unhealthy actions, like pain medications. Because these are frequently addictive, it’s better to find ways to bring physical therapy into your life for natural pain control. It’s a successful option with the right techniques.
Even so, you may not initially realize you have this arthritic condition. So many people like yourself suffer from back pain and assume it’s going to go away on its own.
Here’s a look at symptoms, and therapy for pain control.
Osteoarthritis in the Spine
When you start getting osteoarthritis in your spine, it means the cartilage in your joints and discs start to break down. This usually occurs with age, though various physical injuries can bring it on. Sometimes it’s a genetic problem associated with cartilage.
If you’re overweight, it’s more apt to occur, sometimes younger than you think. It’s not out of the question for men and women in their mid-40s to start experiencing osteoarthritis.
Once it starts afflicting your spine, it’s going to cause bone spurs. These cause pressure on the nerves around your spinal column. You’ll start to experience pain in your lower back, including in your legs.
How do you really know if you have osteoarthritis, though?
Symptoms to Scope Out
Don’t write off lower back pain as being something temporary. It’s likely to get worse without proper treatments. Typically, it can feel better when lying down, so you may initially brush off any concerns.
You might experience weakness or numbness over time once the bone spurs start affecting your spinal nerves. Hindering your everyday activities could mean developing emotional issues over lack of mobility.
With a smart physical therapy approach, you can finally fix these problems, especially with a dedicated team devoted to bringing inspiration and expertise.
Flexibility and Stretching
What’s important to know is bed rest and sitting do nothing to alleviate lower back arthritis. Starting with flexibility and stretching exercises helps elasticity in your joints to remove stiffness. Not moving your joints actually worsens your pain, though you obviously need to start slow.
Many people choose water therapy for their flexibility therapy. However, another popular choice is Tai-Chi since it helps with flexibility, strength, and balance.
A Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise Program
Because of weight contributing to your back arthritis, it’s essential to get your weight down to a healthier level. One therapeutic step in this direction is doing a low-impact aerobic program as a way to slowly make progress.
With aerobic exercise, you’re increasing your heart rate to improve the flow of blood and nutrients in your body. Helping the flow of blood helps bring faster healing to reduce your back pain.
Through a caring physical therapy team, you’ll start slow and gradually build up. Simple exercises like walking, stationary biking, or step machines are perfect ways to get started.
Why it’s Beneficial to Work With a Physical Therapist
If you think you can do some of the above on your own, realize you need special guidance to avoid injury. A personal physical therapist understands your diagnosis and chooses the right exercises that avoid too much strain.
Above exercise, your therapist helps teach proper body posture for doing everyday tasks. They’ll also recommend different treatment options, including devices you can wear to reduce pain. Plus, they can point you toward ergonomic aspects in your home for living more comfortably with osteoarthritis.
Contact us at Orthopedic and Balance Therapy Specialists to learn about our own physical therapy practice. We want to share our core values in helping you manage your neck and back issues.