Back Pain? Get To The Experts!

We recently had a patient come in who had been dealing with low back pain for over a year. He was super active, training 5-6 days per week, but hurt his back one day simply standing up from a chair. He had seen his family practitioner periodically for steroid injections, which would provide some relief for a couple months but then end up right back to square one. Frustrated with his lingering back pain, he gave us a call and after a thorough evaluation, some manual techniques, and exercise programming, he left our office with decreased pain and improved mobility.

We see patients like this all the time here at Athletes’ Potential… which makes total sense. Back pain can happen with some with some of the most innocuous movements, and in many cases, without warning. In fact, On average 80% of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in their lives and more than a quarter of the population currently deals with low back pain on any given day.

Not only have most people had some form of back pain, but it many cases it is the result of poor movement patterns that have been abused for years causing the root of their problem to be both incredibly complex and multifactorial. Great news though! Whether you hurt your back trying to hit a new deadlift PR or simply bending over to put your kid in their car seat, there’s a profession out there, armed with years of training and knowledge, designed perfectly to help with your low back pain: Doctors of Physical Therapy.

Here are some of the reasons why you should see a doctor of physical therapy the next time  you’re experiencing back pain.

Advanced Education: Physical therapists go through seven rigorous years of both academic and clinical training in order to become Doctors of Physical Therapy. We have spent seven years in school studying human anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, and tissue histology. In other words, we know how the body moves, how it heals, and how to optimally restore its strength and mobility in order to get you to your goals.

Multiple Treatment Options: As I mentioned earlier back pain can be pretty complex, requiring multiple different treatment options to not only alleviate your symptoms, but correct the underlying problem that caused the issue in the first place. Unlike other healthcare professionals, doctors of physical therapy have the ability to choose from multiple different tools in their toolbox. Whether this means using corrective exercises, dry needling, joint manipulations (cracking your back), soft tissue mobilizations, taping, or wrapping, a physical therapist has the ability to customize the most appropriate treatment program for you.

Patient Empowerment: More than anything else, a physical therapist's ability to educate you the patient is invaluable to your recovery. There are 168 hours in a week, at most you’ll see a physical therapist 3 times per week for an hour...that still leaves 165 hours where you’re on your own. Compliance is crucial. For true long-term changes to happen versus short-term reductions in symptoms, you have to know what you should and should not being doing, and physical therapists are second-to-none in making sure that is exactly what happens. Additionally, after you’ve had back pain once, there is a 90% chance you’ll have back pain again at some point in the future. Think of it this way, after you roll your ankle once, you’ll more than likely roll your ankle again at some point. Don’t panic though, the education and coaching you’ll receive from your physical therapist will allow you to know exactly what to do in order alleviate most future back pain exacerbations in a few days instead of weeks, months, or even years. ​

In review, you’re not alone in your back pain. In fact, it’s more likely than not that you’ll experience some form of back pain in your life. However, this doesn’t take away the fact that back pain can hinder your daily activities and keep you from what you enjoy most. Physical therapists are highly trained musculoskeletal experts that not only help patients alleviate their low back pain, but keep it away by empowering them to take their healthcare into their own hands.

If you’ve living in Atlanta, and you’re struggling with back pain, we’d love to help you. Give us a call at 470-355-2106, or fill out the contact request form and we’ll contact you.

Thanks for reading,


-Dr. Jake, PT, DPT, CSCS