Back Pain
Most back pain, including lower back pain, comes from strained muscle, irritated discs or stiff joints rather than serious damage, and physical therapy is one of the best-studied ways to treat it. East Mountain Physical Therapy treats back pain in Cedar Crest, Edgewood, Tijeras and Moriarty with hands-on care and an exercise plan built for your back.
What is behind your back pain
Low back pain has a handful of usual suspects. A physical therapist works out which one is yours.
Muscle strain and back spasms
Lift something awkwardly or pull a muscle in your back and the muscles around the spine guard against movement. It hurts, but it is usually mechanical and it usually settles.
Herniated or bulging disc
A disc can bulge or herniate and press on a nerve, which is why bending or sitting makes some people worse. Directional exercises often change how it feels within a few visits.
Degenerative disc disease and stenosis
Wear in the discs and the spinal canal is common with age and does not always hurt. When it does, strength, flexibility and posture training keep you moving.
SI joint pain
The joint where the spine meets the pelvis can stiffen or become irritated and cause pain low on one side of the back.
New back pain and back pain that will not leave
New back pain, the kind that began last week after yard work, usually settles faster when you stay active within what you can tolerate. Bed rest tends to leave the back stiffer and weaker.
Back pain that has lasted months needs a different plan: graded exercise, hands-on work on stiff areas, and attention to how you sit, lift and bend. Our clinic also has a therapist who treats long-lasting pain; see chronic pain.
What your first back pain visit looks like
One patient at a time, for the whole hour.
We listen
Where it hurts, what makes it worse, what you do all day, and what you want to get back to.
We examine
Movement of your back and hips, strength, nerve tests, and how you bend, sit and stand.
Hands-on treatment
Joint and soft-tissue mobilization and manual traction where they fit, the way our therapists work.
Your exercise plan
A short set of exercises you can do at home, and a plan to keep the pain from coming back.
Pain going down your leg?
If the pain runs from the buttock into the leg, with tingling or numbness, that points to a nerve and is covered on the sciatica page. Hip problems can feel similar; see hip pain. Back pain during pregnancy has its own plan on prenatal and postpartum care.
When to see a doctor first
Call your doctor, or go to the emergency room, if you have back pain with:
- loss of bladder or bowel control
- numbness in the groin or inner thighs
- fever
- pain after a serious fall or accident
Do you need a referral?
Whether a doctor has to send you depends on your insurance plan, so call (505) 286-3678 before you book and we will tell you what your plan needs. Back pain care is often part of a work injury claim too; ask us if that is your case.
Back Pain care in the East Mountains
We see patients from Cedar Crest, Edgewood, Tijeras, Moriarty and the East Mountains.