Unburden Yourself from Back Pain
Many of us know all too well that daily life takes its toll on our backs. Simple things like sitting, lifting heavy bags of groceries, and playing with our kids can all contribute to back pain. Motherhood can be particularly taxing considering the amount of bending, lifting, and sheer physical exhaustion that comes from taking care of a little one. This is something our client Jessica knows firsthand.
Children Can Be a Pain in the Back
Jessica came to A Life in Balance (ALIB) when daily activities became painful. She told us, “My back had been bothering me for a long time after giving birth to my daughter. I was fed up with being in pain. I wanted to be able to move around carelessly and do the things I use to do, so I decided to do something about it.” Many mothers can relate to Jessica’s experience. An estimated 50% of new mothers report back pain after childbirth. But pregnancy—and back pain—affect every mother (or client) differently.
The team here at ALIB has so much to offer clients who suffer from back pain including PT, massage, Pilates, and more. But when it came to Jessica—and this is true for every client we see--it was important for our therapists to understand her specific situation and needs. Jessica enjoys working out at home and includes yoga and strengthening exercises in her regular routine. So Jessica was strong when she came to us—which helped!—but her body was not able to recover from the stresses of pregnancy on its own.
Jessica needed the support from our PTs to help rebalance her body. Her relief came from working with our PTA Lauren Karafin. Meeting regularly, Jessica quickly learned baseline exercises. Lauren was then able to progress her to a higher level of strengthening exercises with precise biomechanics.
How ALIB Can Help You
Back pain is incredibly common, with 80% of Americans experiencing back problems at least one or more times during the year. However, the body is complex, so recovery from back pain is not always intuitive. Handling it on your own can be risky. It is critical to seek professional guidance to successfully recover.
Professional help will ensure that what you are doing is what your body really needs. You could even be experiencing pain somewhere in the body that seems to be unrelated to your back. One of Jessica’s big takeaways from working with us was, “your body compensates for weaker muscles. It’s mind-blowing when muscles you don't think are connected, are taking over for a weaker part of your body.” Working with the team at ALIB will give you peace of mind that you are doing what’s right for your back. We can help create a treatment plan that meets your specific needs to ensure your recovery is safe, sustainable, and achievable.
Start Your Healing Journey Today
“The biggest piece of advice I have is to just start,” Jessica says. “I did not think I would ever be able to unload the dishwasher without having one hand on my knee or pain in my lower back, but now I can! The simplest of tasks were so aggravating and now I do not even think twice about them. You deserve to feel good in your body; do it for you. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I've gone weeks without pain, it’s wonderful. I am so thankful to have started PT at ALIB, it has given me an abundance of knowledge and how to work the correct areas when I'm feeling pain in one place or another.”
We offer a variety of modalities to ensure your back pain is cared for. Once we identify the issue, we can use our different modalities to get you back on track. For example, lower back pain may be caused by instability in the core. In this case, our team may provide core-strengthening Pilates exercises. Or perhaps you experience pain in the upper back resulting from tightness in the thoracic spine. In this case, guided stretching and rotational movements through yoga can help relieve some of the aches and may be something we suggest.
If you’re experiencing back pain resulting from injury, pregnancy or a chronic condition, give A Life in Balance a call! Our wellness services can help get you on the road to feeling better!
