Back Physical Therapyin Philadelphia, Trenton & Surrounding Cities
Physical Therapy plays an important role not only in treating persistent or recurrent low back pain, but also in prevention and risk reduction of future occurrences. 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?
Keep your back, stomach, and leg muscles strong and flexible. Maintain a regular fitness regimen – staying active can help prevent injuries!
Don’t slouch – keep good posture! Keeping your body in alignment allows it to be more efficient when you move.
Ask for help or use an assistive device to lift heavy objects. If you are lifting something heavy, keep the load close to your body.
If we are asking you to do something that is hurting too much, let us know! Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.
We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.
A physical therapy visit lasts about 40-60 minutes. The actual contents of the visit vary based on your diagnosis/need, but typically what happens is:
You check in with the receptionist, make any appointments necessary, and we discuss your health insurance benefits with you.
You go into the gym. You can change clothes if you need to, then begin therapy.
You perform 6-8 various exercises and stretches. These can include therapeutic band exercises, light body weight exercises, or minimal weights. The stretches will promote strength, stability, improved range of motion, and pain relief.
We can initiate other techniques to include manual work, taping, cupping, and dry needling as needed.
The therapist makes recommendations based on your progress. These can include altering the frequency of visits, making additions/alterations to your home exercise plan, or things to do before your next visit.
You should wear loose clothes that make it easy to move. We also recommend sneakers. Workout clothes will work, but any comfortable clothing will work fine. Plan on giving your therapist access to your area of concern. The less your clothes restrict your movement and the more comfortable you are, the better. Shorts, yoga pants, or athletic/loose fitting pants and a tee shirt are all good options.
People in Pennsylvania & New Jersey Trust Strive PT
Hear from patients that reclaimed their lives.
I owe your admin staff a HUGE thank you for helping me through the insurance maze. No other medical office I’ve ever been to takes as much time to educate their clients about their insurance coverage and to advocate for them when insurance companies try to pull their dirty tricks.
Cara R.
Nearly 4 years ago I had a severe cervical spine injury resulting in 2 surgeries that left me in constant agony, unable to walk unassisted, bathe myself, cut my own food, or get up the stairs alone. But Mike, Matt, Tyler and the entire crew at Dresher PT NEVER gave up on me. They cheered me on, gently and consistently challenged me, and exceeded the expectations of the surgeons who felt I was bound for a life of significant disability. I can do almost everything I had been able to prior to the injury. ALL thanks to Dresher PT!
Amy E.
I first came to Dresher PT with a rotator cuff injury. My surgeon had told me to expect a two-year recovery period. I came to Dresher PT and, within three months, my shoulder was back to 100% normal. They are fabulous!
Susan
I was fortunate enough to see Dr. Anthony on the very SAME day I called, to request help with vertigo. He was very knowledgeable, thorough, and compassionate. Not only did I leave feeling better, I also left equipped with practical, easy to follow information to help prevent future incidents. This was my second visit to SOAR and both times I was very impressed!
Doreen B
I had a total knee replacement in Sept this year. At first I dreaded going in for the appointments and going thru the process which was estimated to be 3 months of therapy. My therapist is Chris Albanese. He’s easy going and dedicated to getting my new knee construction to improve its mobility and functioning. After exactly 2 months with Chris I was released from therapy 1 month ahead of schedule. The staff at Soar was very helpful and everyone pitches in. I will recommend Soar Therapy to anyone.
Don G
Dr. Keith was wonderful. Very thorough and always took the time to explain everything in detail. The entire staff is welcoming, friendly and efficient. My experience with Soar was wonderful and I recommend it to anyone requiring PT.
Jill Z
The professional atmosphere, cleanliness, and attentiveness of the staff I came in contact with at Strive provided a wonderful experience.
Verified Patient
Strive PT
The time I spent with Tom and other members of the staff was great. The therapy that was provided cured me! I’m thankful to Dr. Paz who recommended that I come here. Again the staff here at STRIVE have been great. I could come here just for the workout. Again, I say thanks for your professionalism and support to help me.
Verified Patient
Strive PT
Mark knew what he was doing; in all my years of therapy Mark was the best. He gave me Physical Therapy that worked for me. He knows his career very well. He knows what the patient needs to get better. Thank you so much!
Verified Patient
Strive PT
As a physician and also a patient, I can clearly say that Strive Physical Therapy provides the best comprehensive care that I’ve experience in the area. You want a group of professionals who are committed to the practice and in getting people back to the best possible mobility. You get this at Strive because it’s run like a family business. The owners are involved, experienced therapists whose goal is providing excellent patient care. Strive has clearly produced results for me and I routinely refer my acutely injured patients to them because I know they will have a similar experience.
R. Alan Shubert, M.D., FACEP
South Jersey Emergency Physicians
It is without exaggeration that I would comment to you that I have been uniformly, both very pleased and very grateful for the exceptional care that has been show to patients that I have referred to Strive Physical Therapy. The consistently high level of caring professionalism and the consistently excellent outcome of treatment has been of great help to my patients and of great help to me in caring for patients who have required physical therapy for an array of different neurologically-related illnesses and/or injuries.
Michael J. Partnow, M.D.
I have been sending my patients to Mark Muir and Erich Herkloz since they set up practice in Moorestown. Finding that I can count on having my patients seen by an experienced Physical Therapist is very important to me. They are very competent and my patients like them. Mark and Erich make an important contribution to our medical community.
Joseph H. Winston, M.D.
Strive PT Patient
As both a referring physician and an actual patient at Strive Physical Therapy, I have nothing but good things to say about the care and professionalism of both Mark Muir and Erich Herkloz. The atmosphere is very pleasant and relaxing. The staff is very pleasant as well. Both Mark and Erich work hard to make sure each patient improves under their care. Based on my own patient’s feedback and my own personal experience, I would not hesitate to recommend Strive to anyone.
Sanan Levin, M.D.
Internal Medicine
Their professionalism and quality of care are unmatched in this area. I recommend Strive to my patients because they are the best in the business.
