Common causes?↓

Middle back pain can have causes that aren't due to underlying disease. Examples include overuse (lifting, new exercise, etc), disuse (prolonged sitting, laying down), sleeping in an uncomfortable position or surface, a poorly fitting backpack, or chiropractic manipulation.

Do I need back surgery?↓

Depends, the large majority of cases do not require surgery despite positive findings on MRI or imaging. Most will resolve with conservative treatment a.k.a physical therapy. During your initial evaluation and even during follow up visits, your physical therapist will educate you on how physical therapy can help with you specific symptoms and whether or not you’ll require a consultation with a surgeon.

How can physical therapy help? ↓

Because the symptoms and pain are individual, each patient will have a different presentation at therapy. A physical therapist will do a thorough medical history review including gathering all the information about your current pain levels, current functional deficits and how this impacts your daily activities. A movement assessment will be performed including observation of activities such as walking or getting in/out of a chair as well as movements specific to your pain location and symptoms. With this information your physical therapist can develop a personalized treatment plan to help relieve your back pain and get you back to your normal routine. Your physical therapist will likely prescribe a combination of exercises, stretches and activities to avoid while you’re recovering as well as advise you on how to resume activities once you find relief.