Physical therapy usually consists of two different types of therapy. These are active physical therapy and passive physical therapy. Active physical therapy involves various exercises, stretching, and other types of movement that are meant to provide pain relief and help promote healing in the affected area. Passive physical therapy often involves using other products, machines, or methods to provide relief to the patient. Active and passive physical therapy are both used to treat patients who suffer from chronic back pain. These are some different types of passive physical therapy that are commonly used to treat chronic back pain.
Ultrasounds
Ultrasound treatments can be used to help relieve chronic back pain and to help promote healing of the tissues and muscles in the back. When ultrasounds are applied to the skin, the deep heating creates sound waves that go deep into the soft tissue which then decreases pain and may also help speed up the healing process.
Heat or Cold Therapy
Applying heat or ice to the back is also a passive form of physical therapy. Either of these can help reduce inflammation and muscle spasms. For some people, ice provides more relief and for others, heat therapy works best. It is also common for both heat and cold to be used for treating chronic back pain. This is done by rotating between applying a heating pad for a few minutes and then applying an ice pack for a few minutes. This may be repeated as often as needed to ease the patient's back pain.
Iontophoresis
Another form of passive physical therapy that is used for chronic back pain is iontophoresis. This involves giving the patient a steroid shot just under the skin in the area where the pain resides. Then an electrical current is applied to the skin which helps the steroid move down deeper into the tissues of the painful area on the back. This type of treatment is especially helpful for those who have acute pain that often occurs in an injury to the back.
Electrotherapy
Electrotherapy is performed by using a special machine known as a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) unit on the painful area of the back. The electrical stimulation blocks the pain signals that are sent from the back to the brain. If the patient receives substantial pain relief from using a TENS unit, the unit can usually be prescribed for the patient so they can use it at home on a long-term basis.
Many patients who suffer from chronic back pain have found a great deal of relief by going to physical therapy. For some, regular physical therapy treatments (whether passive or active) have allowed them to avoid taking strong pain medications and to return to a somewhat normal lifestyle.
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