If you've been having back pain after an injury, your doctor might recommend physical therapy. If the problem is in a muscle or disc, physical therapy might help with pain, recovery, and prevention of future injuries. Here are some physical therapy services that might help your back.

Heat Treatments

Heat can be soothing to a painful back. Your therapist might have you relax in a hydrotherapy tub. You might even do exercises in the tub while you're supported by warm water. Ultrasound therapy is sometimes used to provide heat treatments since an ultrasound can send heat deep into your tissues.

Heat stimulates blood flow and tissue repair. You might even be instructed to take hot baths at home or use a heating pad to help your back heal and to provide soothing relief.

Massage Therapy

Massage treatments can also stimulate blood flow so more nutrients reach the injured area. A massage can relax tight muscles to provide pain relief. Deep tissue massages break up adhesions that may be causing your pain. Therapeutic massages could be beneficial to your recovery and be part of your physical therapy treatments.

Exercise

Exercise for back pain could include both muscle strengthening exercises and stretching. If you have weak core and back muscles, you are at a higher risk of injury. Your posture will probably be poor, and that puts you at risk of muscle strain. A large part of your physical therapy rehabilitation may be focused on strengthening and balancing your muscles so your spine is supported properly.

A physical therapist can teach you the best exercises to do, show you how to perform them with good form, and give you a schedule to follow at home. You may want to continue with your exercises after your back has healed to keep your back strong, flexible, and more resistant to injury.

For exercises to be effective, you must do all of the exercises your therapist prescribes, use proper form, and do the exercises on the prescribed schedule. Being compliant with exercises at home could mean the difference between a quick recovery and dealing with chronic pain.

Electrical Stimulation

If you're having too much pain to exercise effectively, the first approach your physical therapist may take is to reduce the pain. Electrical stimulation may be effective for this. Your therapist can teach you how to apply the electrodes and operate a machine so you can use it at home to help control your pain and reduce your reliance on pain medication. With your pain reduced, you may feel more like exercising. 

For more information about physical therapy, contact a local clinic.