Physical Therapy Services
Back Pain
Relief and prevention for the leading cause of disability.
Back Pain
Because back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, it is vital to know how to prevent it. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight, staying active, and avoiding prolonged inactivity or bed rest are all important ways to avoid back pain. Before exercising or any physical activity, we recommend warming up and stretching.
How This Works
How back pain care works at Omega Physical Therapy
Back pain is treated at Omega Physical Therapy by working out what is actually driving it rather than treating the sore spot in isolation. The spine, hips and the muscles around them work as one system, so an evaluation looks at how you bend, sit, stand and lift, where movement is restricted, and which structures reproduce your symptoms when they are loaded or tested.
Treatment is hands-on and individualized. Dr. Dmitry Shestakovsky, DPT is trained in manual medicine and uses manual manipulation, soft-tissue techniques and therapeutic rehabilitation — including osteopathic manipulation, spinal manipulation and the high velocity, low amplitude (HVLA) technique — alongside exercise you carry on with between visits. The practice's stated approach is to address the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms, which is why the exercise part matters as much as the table work.
What to Expect
One-on-One Care, Built Around You
A back that has been sore for months and a back that seized up on Tuesday are different problems, so the first visit is spent working out which one you have.
Evaluation
One-on-one with Dr. Shestakovsky: how the pain started, what makes it better and worse, whether it refers into the leg, and a movement and strength assessment of the spine and hips. The practice assesses the patient as a whole rather than only the painful segment.
Hands-on treatment
Manual and soft-tissue work directed at what the assessment found — restricted segments, guarded muscles, irritable tissue — with manipulation used where it is indicated.
Your home program
A short set of exercises and practical adjustments to how you sit, lift and move through the day. Staying active and avoiding prolonged inactivity or bed rest is part of the practice’s published advice on back pain, and warming up and stretching before activity is part of it too.
Follow-up and review
Each visit starts by rechecking what changed since the last one, and the plan is adjusted from there — progressed, changed, or wound down.
Benefits
What back pain care is used for
Physical therapy is individualized, and what any plan involves depends on your evaluation. These are the situations this kind of care is commonly used to address at our Brooklyn office.
- Addressing back pain and the restricted movement that comes with it
- Working on the strength, mobility and movement habits that keep loading the area
- Helping people return to activities they have been avoiding because of their back
- Prevention — back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, so how you warm up, stretch and stay active is treated as part of the plan
Common Questions
Back Pain FAQs
Will physical therapy for back pain hurt?
You should not be worked through sharp pain. Hands-on treatment of an irritable back can feel tender at the time, and it is normal to feel worked the next day in the way you would after new exercise. Tell Dr. Shestakovsky what you are feeling as it happens — the amount of pressure and the exercises are adjusted to what you can tolerate.
How many visits will I need?
That is not something anyone can answer honestly before examining you. It depends on what is causing the pain, how long it has been going on, and how the area responds. Dr. Shestakovsky will discuss a plan with you after the evaluation and review it as you go.
Do I need a referral from my doctor?
It depends on your insurance plan — some require a physician referral for physical therapy and some do not — and New York State sets its own rules for seeing a physical therapist directly. Rather than guess, call the office at (718) 996-9929 before your first visit with your plan details and we will tell you what yours needs.
What should I bring to my first visit?
Your insurance card, a photo ID, and anything relevant a doctor has already given you — imaging reports, a referral, a surgical note. New-patient forms can be printed and completed at home before you arrive, which is the main thing that shortens a first visit. Wear clothing you can move in.
Is it covered by my insurance?
Omega Physical Therapy welcomes insurance and will do everything it can to help you receive as many benefits from your plan as possible. Because there are so many different plans and coverage options, the office cannot give a definite answer in advance — a copy of your insurance card is taken at your appointment so your coverage can be estimated. Cash, checks, debit cards and most major credit cards are also accepted. Call (718) 996-9929 with your plan details and the front desk will talk it through with you.
Have a question that is not here? Call (718) 996-9929 and we will answer it.