Have you been suffering from lower back pain? You’re not alone. Around 25% of the Canadian population is affected by lower back pain.
If you are one of that 25%, you may want to start going to physiotherapy. But how do you know if it is time to go or when you should go?
Let’s dive into the benefits of physio and when you should begin to seek out help for your lower back pain management.
When to Seek Out Physiotherapy
So at what point do you need to start searching “physiotherapy near me”?
If you have any of the following symptoms of meet the following criteria, it is time for you to look into going to physiotherapy.
Tingling or Numbness
What does this mean, exactly? Let’s say that you are feeling pain, tingling, numbness, or a pins and needles type of feeling that is not exactly where your normal pain is. Or, it’s not where an injury occurred.
If this is the pain you are feeling, then you need to immediately go to physiotherapy.
Why? Because if you are feeling a sensation like this, it means that your nervous system is being affected by the injury or the other pain that you are feeling. This could be a pinched nerve that is blocking signals from reaching your limbs.
This has to be fixed right away or it could lead to worse issues over the long term.
Pain That Lasts Longer Than a Week
If you are having back pain that lasts longer than a week, then you may have a bigger issue than just simple pain or sore muscles. If your back hurts worse when you cough or sneeze, this is also a sign that you should go get help.
A lot of times, people feel that if they have back pain, it’s normal. However, that is not the case! If you have long-lasting back pain, this is not normal and you can do something about it.
If you get pain from sitting, this is also a sign that something is wrong since you aren’t moving around too much.
Seeing a physiotherapist can help you to determine what the issue is so you can start fixing it from the source.
Pain That Affects Your Everyday Activities
If you are going through your day and have to adapt to do things differently, then you should probably see someone to get help.
Activities that you may notice being affected are:
- Getting dressed
- Standing and sitting throughout the day causing pain
- Driving with pain
- Unable to workout or exercise like you normally would
Anything that you have to change is a sign that something is wrong. In this case, you should go get checked out to fix the issue.
After Surgery
Another time that you will want to see a physiotherapist is after any type of back surgery that you may have.
The physiotherapist can help you regain normal back mobility after surgery based on stretches and exercises that they give you.
After an Injury
You will also want to see a physiotherapist after you have an injury. Depending on the injury, a physical therapist can help you with treatment and exercises that will help you recover.
Benefits of Physiotherapy
There are so many benefits of physiotherapy. If you are thinking it’s time for you to go, here’s how you can benefit.
Improve Flexibility and Mobility in Your Back
One of the biggest benefits of physiotherapy is that it can improve your ability to move. If you have surgery or are experiencing a lot of pain, the exercises and stretches that you will have to do can help with increased mobility.
They will also tell you how many times to do these exercises as well as how far to push yourself so that you do not cause more injury.
Manage Diseases
Although physiotherapy can help with your back pain, it can do so much more than that! It can actually help manage different diseases.
If you have diabetes, you can go to physio to increase sensation in your limbs and arms and legs since a lot of times sensation is blocked with that.
It can also help you after a heart attack or stroke as well.
Recovering From an Injury
Being able to recover from an injury properly is vital to making sure you get your movement back as well as being able to do all of your normal activities.
If you don’t take the right steps, then you’ll be risking not recovering properly.
Going to see a physiotherapist can help you recover properly. Because they know the anatomy of your back and where everything is, they are better able to prescribe the right exercises and stretches to get you back moving without causing more injury.
When and Why You Should See a Physiotherapist
So when should you go to physiotherapy? And why would you even want to go?
There are many reasons to go, from helping you recover from an injury to help you manage chronic pain that is lasting too long for no reason. A physiotherapist can help you manage the pain, increase mobility, and recover properly from an injury.
Are you ready to book an appointment to take care of your pain and get back to your normal life? At Physio HQ, we want you to get back to your life without pain!
Ready for that? You can click here to get started.
