What’s Causing Your Excruciating Back Pain?

There are many types and causes of back pain. Because of this, it can be challenging for a physical therapist to first get to the root of the pain, so they can create a treatment plan that brings real, lasting relief. 

But the urgency of treatment ratchets up quickly when the pain is severe. 

You’re in good hands with us at Empire Physical Therapy and Athletic Rehabilitation. Our physical therapists, Paul LaRosa and Billy Reilly, leave no stone unturned when investigating the source of your back pain, and they have expertise to treat deeper back pain as well. 

At Empire Physical Therapy, we have a single mission: to promptly and sensitively diagnose your back pain, create a customized treatment plan, and watch you reenter the world with no pain or movement limitations. 

Getting to the root of back pain

There are a lot of working parts in your back to consider when you experience pain: your muscles, ligaments, discs, nerves, and tendons, to name a few. 

And then there’s the communication your nerves have with your brain about pain. 

Finally, it may surprise you to learn that in addition to these physiological factors, back pain can be related to your mental health too. For example, high stress, depression, and anxiety have all been linked to back pain. 

Conditions and injuries that lead to severe back pain

When a patient comes to us with excruciating back pain, we consider many possible causes, including:

• Degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, and osteoporosis
• Traumatic injury to the any part of your back
• Herniated discs (when the soft center of your disc pushes through an opening in the tough exterior and puts pressure on a nerve)
• Bulging discs (when a disc bulges downward as a result of deterioration)
• Strained muscles
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing in your spine that puts pressure on your spinal cord and nerves)
• Sciatica (when the nerve that runs from the base of your spine down your buttocks, hip, and leg becomes inflamed)

Bad back pain isn’t just a nuisance; it’s life-altering. Debilitating pain from any of these conditions is something we address with knowledge and dedication to free you from the prison of intense pain.

You may be hit with more than one of these painful conditions, so if you experience severe back pain that doesn’t resolve within a couple of days, seek treatment. That’s why we’re here.

What can you do to ease my severe back pain?

Fortunately, we have diverse treatments to heal your back pain, no matter its source. They’re gentle, customizable, and advanced.

Depending on your diagnosis, we may suggest passive conservative treatments first, including:

• Ice therapy
• Heat therapy
• Electrophysiological stimulation

Active physical therapy consists of:

• Targeted exercises to address your pain
• Muscle manipulation
• Stretching

A solid physical therapy treatment plan may free you from taking prescription pain medications or getting steroid shots. PT also helps you recover successfully from back surgery. 

In addition to eradicating pain, improving your flexibility, and restoring your mobility, we aim to strengthen the tissues and muscles that surround your spine because they’re the keys to your stability. 

If you’ve decided it’s time to get relief from your back pain, contact our New York City office to schedule an appointment so you can get on the road to recovery. We’re located in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood.