Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens the bones in your body, especially in your wrists, hips, and spine. It can cause intense pain in all these areas, but especially in your back. While medications can help, you may be better off doing physical therapy for back pain. Physical therapists specialize in movement, improving your quality of life even if you have chronic back pain from osteoporosis.
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Chronic Back Pain
Compression of your spine is the most commonly broken bone caused by osteoporosis. Spinal compression can cause severe pain, Osteoporosis can be diagnosed by a special type of x-ray that compares your bone density to that of a healthy 30-year-old and of the average person of your age, gender, and size.
Chronic back pain from spinal compression is one of the most common reasons people seek out physical therapy. Evansville physical therapy is one physical therapist that can help you with your chronic back pain from compressed spine injuries. There are many ways a physical therapist can help you deal with chronic back pain.
- Prescribing specific exercises that will build bone density or decrease the amount of bone you lose from osteoporosis
- Teaching you the best posture to avoid spinal fractures
- Educating you on the proper body positions for your day-to-day activities
- Helping you improve your balance so you can avoid falling, which is the most common cause of broken bones in older women
- Aiding you in adjusting your environment to help protect the health of your bones.
Restore Mobility and Bone Strength
Exercising can prompt bone growth by gently stressing the bones, the same way you build muscles. Two types of exercise can increase bone growth and decrease bone loss: resistance and weight-bearing. Your physical therapist will tell you the exact exercises you need to do two to three times per week to stress your bones the right way.
Resistance exercises include:
- Weight lifting with proper spinal positioning
- Using exercise bands
- Gravity resisting exercises such as push-ups, planks, squats, and lunges
- Exercising to improve your balance
Weight-bearing exercises include:
- Dancing of any kind
- Jogging if your bone density is high enough
- Playing sports involving racquets such as squash, tennis, or racquetball
- Stomping or marching around the house
These two types of exercises, working in concert, can help you restore your mobility, balance better, and strengthen your bones. Your physical therapist will recommend a list of exercises tailored to you, so you can:
- Increase the amount of bone you have in vulnerable places, including your spine, arms, and hips
- Improve your balance so you’re less likely to fall
- Make your posture better
- Make changes at work and at home to help avoid falls
- Teach you what exercises not to do
If you’re experiencing lower back pain, there are several things your physical therapist can help you with, including:
- Lessen your pain through specific positioning, to the point that you may not need pain medication
- Give you certain apparatus, such as braces, to help improve your posture and promote healing
- Decrease your risk of falling
If you’re suffering chronic back pain from osteoporosis, getting physical therapy in Middletown, Kentucky can help alleviate that suffering. Reach out to your physical therapist for help with your back pain.
