Physical therapists, who are experts in restoring and improving motion in people's lives, play an important role not only in treating persistent or recurrent low back pain, but also in prevention and risk reduction. Physical therapists are highly- educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility - in many cases without expensive surgery or the side effects of medications.

If you have experienced low back pain, you are not alone. Approximately one quarter of Americans report experiencing low back pain within the past 3 months at any given time. Low back pain often occurs due to overuse, strain or injury. This includes too much bending, twisting, lifting, and even too much sitting.

How Can You Prevent Low Back Pain? Here are a few helpful tips:

• Keep your back, stomach, and leg muscles strong and flexible
• Keep your body in alignment, so it can be more efficient when you move
• Don't slouch-keep good posture
• Use good body positioning at work, home, or during leisure activities
• When lifting, keep the load close to your body
• Ask for help or use an assistive device to lift heavy objects
• Maintain a regular physical fitness regimen. Staying active can help to

How a Physical Therapist Can Help?
Not all low back pain is the same and your treatment should be tailored to suit your specific condition. You should expect the following from a physical therapist:

• Individualized assessment: Your physical therapist will ask you a number of questions about your specific condition and will thoroughly examine you for problems with posture, flexibility, strength, joint mobility, and movement. Attention will be given to how you use your body at work, home, during sports, and at leisure.


• Individualized treatment plan: Once your assessment is complete your physical therapist will develop a plan designed for your specific type of back problem. This may consist of:

• Treatment to decrease pain and restore mobility
• Manual therapy techniques, including spinal manipulation, to improve mobility of joints and soft tissues.
• Specific strengthening and/or flexibility exercises
• Education about care of your back and training for proper lifting, bending, sitting, sleeping, and doing chores both at work and in the home.

As the beautiful weather approaches many of us will be out enjoying the day on one of the many incredible golf courses here in Arizona. To make sure you fully enjoy the experience when you are out there, we are offering a few tips on pre-round self warm up and stretching. Hopefully these tips will better prepare you for a great round of golf.

Back Arches: Place your hands on your lower back while standing and then slowly lean your upper body back, creating an arch in your lower back. Repeat 10-15 times.

Squats: Do about 10-15 free squats to help warm-up your legs. Keep your back straight, knees behind toes and arms straight out in front of you.

Trunk Rotation: Place the golf club behind your neck holding it with your hands of the opposite sides of the club. Standing tall, rotate your upper body slowly from left to right . Hold on each side for 5-10 seconds and repeat 10-15 times.

Standing Side Bends: Holding the club above your head, slowly bend from your hips to either side and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat about 10-15 times on each side.

Shoulder Stretch: Straighten one arm out in front of you, place opposite hand on the elbow of your straighten arm and pull across your body. Hold for 10- 15 seconds and repeat 5 times of each side.

These are only some tips that can help you get warmed up before hitting the links. If you are an avid golfer or just recreational but would like more tips on stretches or exercises that can help with improving your game please feel free to contact us and talk with one of our experienced physical therapists. Go online to www.pptsonline.com and find the location nearest you and give us a call. Good luck and remember to always warm-up before your rounds.