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Spine Physical Therapy

Jennifer is fantastic. After only two weeks my back pain is significantly less. She zeroed in immediately on the problem. Other PTs will watch you do exercises. That’s a waste of time and money. You can do those on your own time. Here they work on the problem.

– Steve K.

I’ve been visiting Tim for several years now and he is a true master of his craft. Only doctor I’ve been to that diagnosed me correctly and fixed my lower back issues.

– Matthew K.

Dr Tim Vidale is a miracle worker. I have been with him for about 8 weeks and am amazed by the improvements throughout my neck, upper and lower back. He knows the human body like a map and can pinpoint targeted areas that need work/treatment. Dr Vidale has also been very helpful advising me on ergonomic positions while using the computer, as extended sitting was uncomfortable for me and wrote a letter on my behalf advising my employer to provide a standing desk. He obviously deeply cares about his patients, which is one of the many outstanding traits of his practice.

– Matt E.

Get To The Root of Your Spine Pain

Your spinal area is made up of multiple bones, ligaments, muscles and nerves and helps to support many of your daily motions from walking to sitting. The most common areas of pain occur in the lumbar region (low back) and cervical (neck).


Your lower back bears a lot of weight and the lower two discs in your lumbar region have the highest chance of disc herniation. Your spine is made up of 33 bones stacked on top of another with a cushion, intervertebral disk, in between each one. The disks have a soft center and a tough exterior. Herniated disk, sometimes called slipped or ruptured disk, occurs when the soft center pushed through a crack in the tough exterior. When this occurs, it may touch nearby nerves that are tied to the legs and arms. That’s why a slipped disc can cause pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg.

Your neck supports the weight of your head – the weight of a bowling ball! – and neck pain is generally felt directly around the neck area but it could also be felt through the upper arm, shoulder blade, forearm, or hand. Neck conditions have the potential to become chronic if the source of the pain isn’t treated.

Signs & Symptoms

    Since the spinal region is made up of a complex network of nerves, where you feel the pain may not be the source of the pain. An acute pain is typically a sharp pain and was caused by some sort of trauma, whereas chronic pain, Depending on the source of your pain, your physical therapist will customize a treatment plan based on their findings.

      Causes of pain:

    • Nerves that surround the spine become irritated
    • Muscles surrounding your spine are strained
    • Bones, ligaments or joints in the area are injured
    • Sudden impact such as a car crash

Why Physical Therapy

    Physical therapists can assess movement patterns to determine the source of your spine pain symptoms and correct any movement dysfunction that they find. Treatment could include a combination of the methods below to address any muscular imbalance, nerve irritation or other spinal health concerns:

    • Joint mobilization and manual therapy: Hands-on techniques used restore mobility to any joints or tissues that may be restricted. PTs will remove restrictions from those muscles to reduce pain and retrain your movement patterns.
    • Custom exercises: Aimed to improve range of motion and strengthen muscles surrounding the spine. Besides your spine, areas of weakness could be in your hips, shoulders, and even the feet. Core strengthening exercises will also be key in reducing pressure from spinal misalignment in your back.
    • Postural education: Aids with elongating the spine to reduce pressure on your back. If your spine is misaligned, your physical therapist will adjust certain aspects of your posture so you can re-establish spinal symmetry as best you can.