Posture & Ergonomic Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain

What Does Your Day Look Like?

That's one of the first things we want to know.

You may spend most of your day behind a desk. You may drive from one job site to another, stand for an entire shift, or bend and lift dozens of times before lunch. Even at home, hours spent working in the yard, cleaning, or tackling a project can leave your back feeling different than it did when you started.

You don't need to hold yourself in one "correct" position all day. We'd rather figure out which positions or activities are giving you trouble and what happens when you change them.

Sometimes that means adjusting your workstation. Other times we find that you need to move more often or work on strength or mobility. Physical therapy and ergonomics let us look at both sides.

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When Does Your Back Bother You Most?

We want to know what you're doing when your back starts to bother you. Is it sitting through long meetings? Getting out of the car after a road trip? Standing in one spot for too long? Or bending and lifting things in and out of your car?

You may catch yourself getting up from your desk more often just to give your back a break. Standing in one spot might bother you even though walking feels fine. For others, the difference is most noticeable on a day off, when they aren't spending hours in the same position.

Those details are important, especially when you’re desperate for lower back pain relief. Tell us what you were doing when it started, what makes it worse, and what seems to help. That gives us a good starting point when we evaluate your back.

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Ergonomics Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain

Physical Therapy San Antonio

What does a normal day look like for you? If you sit at a desk, your physical therapist will go over how your workstation is set up and how much time you spend sitting. If you're on your feet or have a physically demanding job, we'll look at how much you lift, carry, reach, or stand throughout the day. From there, we will focus on improvements that align with your daily movement.

Postural & Ergonomic Training

You don't need a long list of rules to improve your posture. You simply need to know what options you have when your back starts bothering you.

Your postural correction techniques may be as simple as changing your chair height, moving your monitor, standing up more often, or setting yourself up differently before you lift. We'll review the changes that make sense for you and show you how to use them throughout your day.

Therapeutic Exercise

Sometimes your workstation setup isn't the only problem. You may also need to gain strength or improve mobility and stability to handle what your day requires. Our team will choose exercises that match the areas you're having trouble with.

Custom Orthotics

If you spend most of the day on your feet, we'll also pay attention to how you stand and walk. Your therapist may recommend custom orthotics if additional support at your feet would help.

Manual Therapy

If your lower back or hips feel extra stiff after sitting, driving, or standing, hands-on treatment could help improve those areas when stiffness gets in the way.

Orthopedic Joint Mobilization & Manipulations

If your therapist finds an area in your lower back or hips that isn't moving well on its own, joint mobilization or manipulation is a great option. Our team will decide if it's useful based on your problematic areas and unique needs.

Functional Dry Needling

A tight or tender spot in your lower back or hips may keep bothering you when you change positions or get up and move. Your physical therapist will discuss functional dry needling with you if it makes sense for the pain you’re experiencing.

Kinesiology Taping

You can use kinesiology tape for a little extra support while you're getting used to sitting, standing, or moving in different ways. It can complement your exercises and other treatments when appropriate.

Strain Counterstrain Technique

If you have a particularly sore or sensitive area around your lower back or hips, strain counterstrain allows your therapist to work with it using gentle positioning rather than pushing into the pain.

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Therapy

If we need to work on strength but heavier resistance isn't a good option for you yet, your therapist may consider BFR therapy. It won't be necessary for everyone coming in for work-related back pain.

Mechanical Traction

Mechanical traction may help with certain types of back problems. We'll only include it if your therapist feels it fits the back pain you're experiencing.

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Making Your Workday Easier on Your Back

You still have to go to work. Telling you not to sit, stand, drive, bend, or lift isn't very helpful when those things are all a part of your job.

Instead, we'll look for changes you can actually use. Maybe your monitor needs to move. Maybe sitting for shorter stretches works better. If you lift all day, we may need to change how you set yourself up before picking something up.

We can try those changes, see what helps, and adjust from there. The point is to make your workday more manageable without expecting you to spend every minute thinking about your posture.

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