My name is Kevin Muldowney and I am the owner of Muldowney Physical Therapy.  Today I would like to discuss with you low back pain.  When you hurt your back, it can cause severe debilitating pain in your low back region as well as pain that goes down your leg to your foot, which is called sciatica.  But, did you know, not all low back pain is the same?  When you hurt your back, you can have a variety of injuries including:  bulging disc, SI joint dysfunction, spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis.  As a physical therapist, it is my job to determine what area of your back is injured, then place you in the proper physical therapy protocol in order to decrease your low back pain.  Did you know that placing a person in the wrong physical therapy protocol for their low back pain can actually increase their pain rather than help them?  This is why, at Muldowney Physical Therapy, we excel at diagnosing and treating people with low back pain.  We will figure out what your problem is and determine the best course of action in order for you to get better and back to life as quickly as possible.

A bulging disc usually occurs when a person bends their back and twists, while attempting to lift an object off the ground.  They will instantly feel a sharp stabbing pain in their back and can also have pain and numbness radiate down one leg to their foot.  If you have pain in your back which radiates down your leg, and this pain increases while you are sitting, but is relieved when you are walking, then you probably have a bulging disc.  You can call our facility today and we can get you in to assess this problem and show you the proper protocol to help alleviate your low back pain.

During our lifetime, we put a lot of wear and tear on our back.  As we get older, due to this wear and tear, we may develop some arthritic changes in our low back.  As these arthritic changes occur, our back may become achey and sore with increased activities such as walking or standing.  Over time, you may develop a problem in your back called spinal stenosis.  A person with spinal stenosis has increased low back pain as well as pain that radiates down one or both of their legs with prolonged standing and walking.  They have no pain when sitting.  If you have pain in both of your legs with increased standing or walking, but you have no pain while you are sitting, give our facility a call today so we can help you.

I would like to discuss with you sacroiliac joint dysfunction or SI joint pain.  Everyone has two sacroiliac joints, one on the right side of their body and one on the left side of their body, which are represented by the two dimples of their buttocks.  If you press on either dimple of your buttocks and have pain, then you have a sacroiliac joint dysfunction.  Muldowney Physical Therapy excels at treating sacroiliac joint dysfunction using a technique called muscle energy to realign your spine to help decrease your pain.  If you pressed on either dimple of your buttocks and had increased pain, please give our clinic a call so we can help you.

I would like to discuss a problem with your spine called spondylolisthesis.  Spondylolisthesis usually occurs in the younger population and presents with low back pain that can radiate down one or both of your legs.  This is due to one of your vertebrae slipping forward and pinching onto a nerve.  Only an x-ray of your spine can properly diagnose a spondylolisthesis.  If you have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, physical therapy can help strengthen your back in order to stabilize this vertebrae and avoid surgery.  If you have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, please give our clinic a call so we can help you.