Physical Therapy for the Lumbar Spine [Video]
Following a comprehensive physical therapy evaluation of the Lumbar, our treatment programs fall into one of three categories; Neutral Spine, Flexion Biased or Extension Biased.
Each of the three categories has a progression of difficulty. As the patient shows the ability to perform an exercise at the beginner level independently, with proper form and demonstrating proper firing patterns of the muscles involved, he or she then progresses to the next level.
What category a patient is steered into will be determined by what their condition is and more importantly what the mechanics of their dysfunction is. For instance, patients suffering from stenosis (a closing of the canal that the spinal chord runs through) generally benefit from an increased opening of the canal through a flexion (forward bending) biased program.
On the other hand, a patient with a herniated disk that is protruding posterioly (towards the back) generally benefits from an extension biased program that takes pressure off the anterior (towards the abdomen) portion of the vertebrae by extending backwards.
Patients with either condition mentioned previously, or other lumbar spine dysfunctions whose symptoms are exacerbated by either flexion or extension are put in the neutral spine category. This category focuses on exercises where the spine is kept in a neutral position through contraction of the abdominal muscles.
As with the treatment of dysfunctions in any part of the body, there is overlap in these groups where patients will perform both neutral and extension biased or neutral and flexion biased exercises.
-J. Ruta
-Sign Up for the Lumbar Educational Seminar Thursday, January 26th @ 12 PM-
-Online Webinar Available to Those Who Can't Make It-
-Four Free Physical Therapy Assessments-
