Back Pain and Sciatica
It’s Time to Say “No More!” To Back Pain and Sciatica
Physical Therapy in Fredericksburg Can Help You Find Relief
People visit their doctor due to back pain more than any other diagnosis. Most back injuries are as results of lifting improperly, repetitive bending activities, sprains, falling, or sitting for prolonged periods of time. Our physical therapists will pinpoint the exact causes of your pain and provide a solution that is right for you.
Since manual therapy is our specialty, working on the back or sciatica is a cinch. However, every case is different. We look for that one particular reason that makes your pain unique and tailor the treatment to fix your exact needs. We specialize in radicular pain, sciatica, cervical, and brachial plexus pain.
Comprehensive Treatment
Sometimes after seeing your doctor, you are not a candidate for surgery. In that situation, physical therapy is a great option for your pain. Come see what Hilltop Physical Therapy in Fredericksburg can do for you.
- Degenerative Disc Diseases
- Herniated Discs
- Lumbar Sprain
- Sacral-iliac Pain
- Coccygeal Pain
- Sciatica
- Radiculopathy
- Scoliosis Treatments
- Kyphosis Treatments
- Thoracic Treatments
- Compression Fractures
At Hilltop Physical Therapy, our Fredericksburg physical therapists will get to the root of the problem and provide long-lasting relief. In many cases, our treatments are even able to eliminate the need for harmful painkilling drugs, such as opioids, or an invasive surgical procedure. Call us today and request an appointment, so you can begin kicking back pain to the curb!
What’s the difference between back pain and sciatica?
Back pain
“Back pain” is a very broad term that can be caused by an array of different conditions. For example, you may experience back pain due to having poor posture, a trauma such as motor vehicle accident, or an injury sustained while lifting something heavy.
Back pain can be described as acute, meaning it is short-term, or chronic, meaning it is long-term (typically lasting for three months or longer).
The treatment plan will depend on how you developed the back pain, in addition to its exact location and your past medical history. We individualize the treatments to tailor your needs.
Sciatica
People with sciatica experience pain along the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body. The sciatic nerve begins at your lower back and then splits at the base of your spine to extend further down to your buttocks, back of legs, and finally ends at the bottom of each foot.
The sciatic nerve can become compressed or irritated, which causes a “shooting,” “stinging,” or “burning” sensation in your lower back, buttocks, legs, or feet from prolonged sitting or an injury.
Why you’re experiencing back pain and/or sciatica
The technical term for sciatica is “lumbar radiculopathy.” People who develop this condition are generally between the ages of 30 and 50. Most commonly, we find that people lose their flexibility, particularly the gluteus and hamstring muscles, and stiffen the hip joint, loading on the ligaments, particularly the sacral ligaments. This in turn, alters the mechanics of the spine, and compresses the sciatic nerve as it shortens these tissues.
Many different types of injuries can cause the development of sciatica, including arthritis, bone spurs, or any other injury that impacts the sciatic nerve.
General back pain typically develops as the result of an injury. This can be due to repetitive straining motions, such as leaning down multiple times throughout the day to pick up a toddler, or a more serious, sudden trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident.
Underlying conditions, such as herniated discs, can also cause immense pain in your back, and cause radiculopathy pain to the thigh, leg, or foot.
Degenerative disc disease is a common condition as we age, which can result in back pain. Those with this condition typically report dull, aching pains in their lower back, and have difficulty with prolonged standing or walking.
There are dozens of other reasons you might be experiencing these kinds of pain, and the best way to find out for sure what the source of your problem is, is to visit a physical therapist.
Physical therapists can treat your back pain and sciatica
While there’s no denying these conditions are very painful and annoying to deal with, both back pain and sciatica are both completely treatable through physical therapy. We have unique treatment protocols to treat all of the intricate structures, including the ligaments of sacrum, deep tissues in the buttocks, obturators, hamstrings, and the sciatic and lumbar nerves via our specialized manual therapies.
Hilltop physical therapists will create a specific home exercise plan for you based on evidence of the findings. We do not give the cookie cutter exercise plan but an individualized and efficient plan of care devised just for you. This restores the natural health of the nerve and quickly reduces symptoms.
Back pain may appear and disappear, however, it is always important to treat it! If not, it can lead to poor joint movement, core weakness, and poor muscle coordination, which can all lead to unwanted injuries in the future.
The early stages of your physical therapy treatment will focus on quick pain relief. Afterward, our physical therapist will expand your treatment to include strengthening your core muscle group with specific therapeutic exercises and stretches.
This helps improve your strength and range of motion to prevent re-injury of your spine. Our physical therapist will also provide you with ergonomic techniques for taking care of your spine during daily activities, such as sitting at a desk or driving.
Ready to find relief? Call us today!
Are you experiencing the symptoms of back pain or sciatica? If you are, you can find relief with Hilltop Physical Therapy today. You are not your pain. Our physical therapists are ready and willing to help get you on the way to recovery!
Call our Fredericksburg office at (540) 891-5326 or click here to request your appointment!
