YouTube isn’t going to fix your back pain… 

Here’s why…

YouTube doesn’t know you!!!

YouTube ALSO doesn’t know how you hurt your back, how long you’ve been dealing with your back pain, what your day to day life looks like, or what hobbies and activities you want to be able to get back to. 

There is no one-size fits all stretch or exercise for back pain.

And what your physical therapist does isn’t something that can be summed up into a 5-minute YouTube video. 

Physical therapists have years of school and clinical experience - and many spend additional time (after receiving a doctorate) specializing in sports, orthopeadic injuries, neurologic injuries, and more! 

So what can you expect in a visit with a Doctor of Physical Therapy?

1. A physical therapist is going to get to know YOU - what motivates you, what your goals are, and your “why”. 

Getting to the root cause

Your PT is going to do a head-to-toe assessment to get down to the root cause of why you’re experiencing pain. Oftentimes we feel pain in one area but the issue is actually stemming from someplace else.

For example, you’re experiencing back pain and YouTube is telling you to strengthen your core. While having a strong core is never a bad thing, maybe your issue is actually from having tight hips. Or maybe it’s from having poor shock absorption through your feet as they hit the ground and your back is taking the hit.

Stick to YouTube and you’ll keep doing core exercises but won’t ever address these other underlying factors that are contributing to your pain.

However, your PT will be able to get to the bottom of what’s really going on, then perform interventions specific to what they find and specific to what you’re trying to get back to doing!

Understanding Your prognosis

Now you have a better understanding of what it is you and your therapist are going to work on to get you out of pain, but how long is this thing gonna take to get better?!

Well you can bet that YouTube doesn’t have the answer.

Lots of different factors go into this: How severe is this injury? How long have you been experiencing pain? What kinds of sports or activities are you trying to get back to? How much time do you have to dedicate to getting this thing taken care of?….The list goes on.

Your physical therapist is going to take all of these things into consideration to make sure you know what to expect on your road to recovery. They’ll make sure you are both working towards achievable and meaningful short and long term goals. And they’ll adjust the course of action if those goals aren’t being met. 

Manual Therapy

Another important aspect of rehabilitation that YouTube just can’t help you with is manual therapy, or hands-on work.

Manual therapy provides an excellent opportunity to maximize the effects of your rehab.

Whether it be to work out a tight muscle, mobilize a stiff joint, or reduce muscle tenderness, hands on work can help achieve greater ranges of motion and/or tolerance to movement when paired with exercise.

Although it’s true that manual therapy alone often does not address underlying causes, it can be a useful tool to help you get back to what you want to do faster!

Feedback

As you perform your rehab exercises, particularly in the early stages, receiving feedback is very important.

This feedback helps you feel confident in the way you move and assures you that you are targeting the right structures.

Additionally, it is important for you to be able to give feedback as well; if an exercise feels too easy or difficult, you’re not sure you’re doing it right, or it is painful and uncomfortable and you need a way to modify it.

This type of specified feedback cannot come from a generic video.

Accountability

Your physical therapist is going to hold you accountable to follow through the commitments you’ve made for yourself.

Exiting out of YouTube is always just one click away on the days you don’t feel motivated. And no one is going to force you to re-open that link!

Days will pass and then you’ll think to yourself that you can just rest and wait until this injury passes. But you know that never worked.

A scheduled PT appointment simply makes showing up easier. You now have someone to call you out if you skip your appointments. The time spent in PT is dedicated “YOU” time.

Choosing to work with a physical therapist forces you to set time to focus on things that you have been putting off - like that exercise you hate but you know is good for you. 

And having someone hold you accountable increases the likelihood of completing what you’ve set for yourself to do. Your recovery time ultimately depends on your consistency with the work that you put in.

Your physical therapist will be there to make sure you’re not only staying on track but that you’re being pushed to your greatest potential. There’s no hiding in PT so every set and rep counts! And your physical therapist will make sure you’re moving correctly.

And yes… you’ll have to think too so you’ll be moving with intention and not just through the motions. But don’t worry. Your physical therapist will keep you motivated to keep going.

Coaching and guidance

Physical therapists are the coaches in the rehab and injury prevention world. Your physical therapist is there to lead you in the right direction - when to progress, what to spend time on, and when to go back to the basics to build a solid foundation.

No one wants to do the hard things on their own and it’s always easier with a coach to set the pace and expectations.  Physical therapy was never meant to be easy - it’s hard work. Everyone needs that coach to push out that “I can’t” voice in your head. Physical therapists are there to help you realize you’re capable of more than you think.

Want that pain fixed fast? Say NO to YouTube

Getting back to the activities that you love shouldn’t be something you try to take shortcuts for; it should be specific, personalized, and always adapting as you progress. So skip the cookie cutter video searches and get to a plan that works for YOU.