If you are having debilitating back pain and have received a diagnosis of spinal stenosis, your pain management doctor might have recommended physical therapy along with pain management techniques.
Physical therapy is a healthcare profession that can significantly relieve symptoms of spinal stenosis by building strength and flexibility in the spine and surrounding muscles. It can adjunct interventional pain management techniques to help you get the most out of your interventional pain management procedures and achieve the best possible results.
Let’s explore the role of physical therapy in building strength and flexibility in spinal stenosis patients and discuss how intervention pain management techniques can help you with spinal stenosis pain.
The Role of Physical Therapy in Spinal Stenosis
Physical therapy plays a pivotal role in managing the discomforting and debilitating symptoms of spinal stenosis. It involves non-invasive therapeutic methods and exercises that aim to increase strength, improve flexibility, and maintain spinal stability.
A physical therapist can devise individualized physical therapy programs that focus on relieving pain, improving physical function, and providing patients with the necessary education about posture and body mechanics.
The program may consist of strength training and exercises to strengthen the core muscles – the muscles around your trunk and pelvis – and provide better support for the spine. Physical therapists may also recommend stretches that target the hamstrings, hip flexors, and muscles of the lower back to improve mobility in the spine and reduce stiffness, which can decrease pain.
It’s pertinent to mention that physical therapy is highly beneficial before and after an interventional pain management procedure or technique. Before the procedure, it strengthens the muscles around the area to be treated, while after the procedure, it helps with recovery and maintains the results.
Intervention Pain Management Techniques
Apart from recommending physical therapy, pain management may also incorporate intervention pain management procedures such as:
- Epidural injections – Epidural injections inject medication into the epidural space, the area around the spinal cord and nerves, to reduce inflammation and pain.
- Facet joint injections – Facet joint injections involve injecting medications into the facet joints, which are small joints that connect the vertebrae in the spine, to reduce inflammation and pain in the back and neck.
- Nerve block – Nerve blocks inject corticosteroid and anesthetic medication around a nerve to numb it and block pain signals.
- Platelet-rich plasma therapy – Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy involves injecting a concentration of platelets and plasma, which are blood cells that help to heal tissue, into the area of pain.
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) – This uses heat to damage and destroy the nerve endings.
A pain management doctor can also recommend minimally invasive pain management therapies when the aforementioned interventional pain management procedure fails. These include:
Vertiflex Procedure
This is a highly effective procedure that involves making a small incision and inserting a spacer between the affected level of the spine to manage lumbar spinal stenosis.
Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression (MILD)
This is a quick procedure to address moderate to severe lumbar spinal stenosis and relieve pain. The procedure involves removing excess ligament tissue and small pieces of bone, under the guidance of a fluoroscope, to widen the spine canal and relieve nerve compression.
Spinal Stenosis Treatment Near Me in Melbourne, FL
If you or someone you care about have received a diagnosis of spinal stenosis and are looking for effective pain management, look no further than our trained and exceptionally skilled pain management doctors here at Central Florida Spine & Pain.
At our pain clinic in Melbourne, FL, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of your pain before recommending a customized treatment plan which may consist of physical therapy along with minimally invasive pain management therapies and interventional pain management strategies.
To know more about our services for spinal stenosis treatment or to schedule a one-on-one consultation with our pain management doctor, contact our staff today at (321) 802-5021 or fill out our convenient online appointment request form now. We look forward to serving you!
