Los Altos, CA
Back pain affects about 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives — making it one of the most common causes of disability in the world. Whether you have a specific diagnosis or not, physical therapy is one of the most effective treatments available. Here’s what’s actually driving back pain and what can be done about it.
5 min read · Educational
- Back pain affects approximately 8 out of 10 people at some point — with or without a specific diagnosis, physical therapy is shown to help.
- Poor posture is both a cause and a compensation — identifying which it is changes the entire approach to treatment.
- If you’ve had back pain before, you’re significantly more likely to have it again — which is why addressing the underlying drivers matters, not just the episode.
- Back pain physical therapy can help people reduce or eliminate dependence on pain medication and avoid surgery.
What Causes Back Pain Physical Therapy Can Actually Address
Back pain comes in many forms — muscle spasms, ligament sprains, degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, sciatica, and more. For a significant number of people, there’s no clear structural cause at all. What physical therapy addresses in both cases is the same: the underlying dysfunction in movement, posture, muscle coordination, and load management that is either causing the pain or preventing recovery.
Take posture as an example. Do a quick check right now — are you rounded forward, head dropped, shoulders slumped? That forward-head, rounded-shoulder position places sustained tension on the ligaments, joints, and discs of the spine. Over time it weakens the core and pelvic floor muscles, reducing the support the spine depends on. But posture is also frequently a compensation — the body finding a position that temporarily reduces discomfort from something else entirely. Addressing posture without addressing what’s driving it rarely produces lasting results.
Risk Factors Worth Knowing
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, established risk factors for back pain include:
- Age — risk increases significantly from the third decade onward
- Low fitness level — sedentary individuals and “weekend warriors” are both at elevated risk
- Obesity — increases spinal load and raises the risk of associated conditions like arthritis and fibromyalgia
- Genetics — conditions like scoliosis and ankylosing spondylitis have hereditary components
- Occupational factors — both heavy manual labor and prolonged sitting create back pain risk through very different mechanisms
- Smoking — reduces oxygen-rich blood flow to spinal discs, accelerating degeneration
- Mental health — anxiety, depression, and chronic stress increase muscle tension and influence pain perception significantly
Something Most People Don’t Know
If you’ve had back pain before, you’re likely to have it again. A 2017 study published in the journal Physical Therapy found that about a third of people with an acute episode of low back pain will experience it again — and for those with two or more prior episodes, the odds of recurrence within a year tripled.
How Back Pain Physical Therapy at PhysioFit Works
Physical therapy for back pain isn’t a single approach — it’s a highly individualized process built around what’s actually driving your specific presentation. The CDC recommends back pain physical therapy as a preferred treatment for chronic pain precisely because it addresses root causes rather than masking symptoms.
Most people with back pain benefit from some combination of the following:
| Approach | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Manual therapy | Hands-on mobilization of joints, soft tissue, and nerve pathways to restore normal mechanics and reduce pain directly |
| Targeted exercise | Rebuilds core strength, endurance, and coordination; improves range of motion in the hips and shoulders that contribute to spinal load |
| Movement and postural assessment | Identifies how you move and load your spine in daily life — and corrects the patterns that are driving ongoing dysfunction |
| Pain neuroscience education | Addresses the role of the nervous system, mindset, and beliefs in chronic pain — a factor that significantly influences long-term outcomes |
| Return to activity guidance | Progressively rebuilds tolerance for walking, cycling, swimming, and other aerobic activity shown to reduce spinal pain over time |
Back pain physical therapy can also help people significantly reduce or eliminate dependence on pain medications — and in many cases, avoid surgery entirely. This matters: research from Penn Medicine suggests that approximately 40% of people continue to struggle with back pain after spinal surgery. Addressing the functional and mechanical drivers first is almost always worth pursuing before considering a surgical path.
Back pain is one of the most treatable conditions in physical therapy — when it’s approached correctly. Call PhysioFit in Los Altos or request an appointment online. No referral needed.
Kim Gladfelter is a physical therapist, Pilates instructor, educator, author, and founder of PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness in Los Altos, CA. She is a highly regarded expert in healing through movement, pain science, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation — and a trusted voice in the Silicon Valley health community.
Kim has helped men and women of all ages stay active, move without pain, and avoid unnecessary medications or surgery. She writes regularly on physical therapy, pain science, and wellness — and is dedicated to making advanced, evidence-based care accessible to everyone in her community.