Try Our Customized Approach To Preventing Back Injuries
Have you ever experienced a back injury? Maybe you tried to move that heavy sofa without help or twisted awkwardly as you picked up a weirdly-shaped box. Whatever caused the injury, you probably had to spend several weeks waiting for it to rehabilitate. Preventing back injuries before they happen is a much better approach–Ability Physiotherapy can show you how.
Lower back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints worldwide. While an injury doesn’t cause every incidence of back pain, injury is the culprit in most cases: 90% of low back pain is non-specific low back pain– back pain without an underlying condition. Most incidences of non-specific lower back pain result from an injury of some sort.
If you want to learn how to avoid back injuries–and thus back pain and impairment–the physiotherapists at Ability Physiotherapy (opens in a new tab) can help! We’ll help you understand your body’s biomechanics and provide tips for proper lifting techniques. We can also help you strengthen your core and stabilize your spine, both of which help prevent injury overall.
To get started with a customized program for preventing back injuries, schedule an appointment at our clinic today!
Common Types of Back Injuries
Not all back injuries are big and flashy. While you can certainly injure your back during a car accident or a fall, most back injuries are repetitive use injuries, which means the injury gradually builds over a period of time. These injuries often sneak up on us, so if you’ve ever had back pain that felt like it came out of nowhere, it might have been a repetitive use injury.
Here are some of the most common types of back injuries:
- Strains: A strain affects the muscles or tendons in your back, leading to pain and immobility. While you can strain a muscle due to improper lifting form and trying to pick up something too heavy, strains can also occur due to performing the same motions over and over–such as being hunched over while you tend to your garden.
- Sprains: A sprain refers to damage to your ligaments–the tissue that connects your bones together. Sprains can occur much like strains can: through improper lifting form, or lifting something too heavy. Also they are often the result of an awkward movement like bending and twisting. The symptoms are similar as well, with the condition causing both pain and stiffness in the affected area.
- Herniated discs: Your spinal discs are small cushions that sit between your spine’s vertebrae, helping to absorb the impact of moving. If one of those discs bulges or tears and irritates a nearby nerve, it can lead to intense pain and immobility. While injury can cause a herniated disc, more frequently, they result from aging or the result of prolonged postures (i.e., slouched sitting).
- Fractured vertebrae: Cracks in your spinal vertebrae are another common cause of back injury. Younger people might fracture their vertebrae in a car accident or sports injury. Among older people, especially older women, spinal fractures often result from falls and can alert you to osteoporosis, a disease that decreases bone density.
A Few Simple Steps to Preventing Back Injuries
While our physiotherapists (opens in a new tab) can help you recover and rehabilitate from any of these common back injuries, we can also help you prevent one from occurring in the first place. We take a multi-pronged approach to preventing back injuries by helping you get strong and educating you on risk factors.
One of the best things you can do to help prevent back injuries is to strengthen your body, especially your core. Overuse injuries, in particular, often occur because your core–the muscles that surround and support your spine–is weak, which puts strain on your lower back. By strengthening your core, you can stabilize your spine, ensuring it gets the support it needs.
Our therapists will help you develop a customized strength program based on your needs and ability level. In addition to improving your core strength, we’ll help you build strength throughout your body, further removing spinal pressure and helping reduce your risk of falls.
However, education also plays an essential role in preventing back injuries. Here are some of the areas we can help you with:
- Using proper biomechanics when walking, running, and lifting
- Ergonomic adjustments, like sitting properly or standing properly at home, work, or play
- Postural corrections and guidance on maintaining good alignment throughout the day
- Proper lifting form, whether you’re picking up free weights or laundry baskets
Customized Plans for Preventing Back Injuries
Back injuries (opens in a new tab)–and their symptoms and causes–can vary wildly, so we always customize our back pain prevention plans based on the customer’s needs. An athlete may require more emphasis on cross-training and proper lifting techniques, while an office worker may need help starting up a general stabilization and back-strengthening program.
Your first appointment will consist of an in-depth evaluation to ensure you get the care you need. We’ll take a complete health history, review your symptoms, and conduct several movement screens to help us identify any potential impairments. From there, we’ll develop your custom prevention plan.
If you’ve already injured your back, we can also help! We’ll use the same process to find an approach that addresses both your symptoms and the underlying cause–and then we’ll let you know how to prevent additional injuries in the future!
Get Started Today!
No one wants to put up with a back injury. They can limit your mobility and keep you from participating in your favorite activities. Fortunately, Ability Physiotherapy can help you prevent them entirely!
To get started with your own back pain prevention plan, schedule an appointment with us today (opens in a new tab)!
