Back & Spine

Back and Spine Physical Therapy in Southern Maine

Back pain can affect every part of your life—whether it’s from sports, poor posture, a workplace injury, or just the wear and tear of daily living. At Reform Physical Therapy, we help patients address back and spine conditions through customized, one-on-one care that’s rooted in both expertise and compassion.

Why Is the Back So Prone to Injury?

The back is a complex structure made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and soft tissues. Because of this, it’s vulnerable to a wide range of injuries—some mild, others more severe. From muscle strain to herniated discs, spine-related issues often interfere with mobility, strength, and even your ability to rest or breathe comfortably.

Fortunately, physical therapy can help reduce pain, improve function, and prevent future injury.

Common Conditions We Treat

You may benefit from physical therapy if you’re experiencing:

Acute or chronic lower back or neck pain
Muscle-tension headaches
Pain that extends into the arms or legs
Arthritis-related back discomfort
Lumbar spinal stenosis
Work-related back injuries
Post-operative recovery after back surgery

In addition, we specialize in treating both sports-related and lifestyle-driven causes of back pain.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

Treatment plans at Reform PT are always personalized. Depending on your diagnosis, goals, and lifestyle, your plan may include:

Stabilization-based exercises
Gait and walking pattern training
Posture correction and awareness techniques
Core strength building
Dynamic stretching and mobility work

Additionally, we prioritize patient education so you can better understand your injury and avoid reinjury in the future.

At the base of the spine there are two firm, small joints that provide spine stability. These joints have a small range of motion and are responsible for maintaining stability during normal movements, like walking or twisting. When these movements are flawed or improper, they typically result in SI (sacroiliac joint) dysfunction, which typically leads to back pain and lack of mobility.

Symptoms of SI dysfunction vary widely and include lower extremity numbness, tingling, pain, weakness, pelvic pain, and more.

This condition involves fragmentation, herniation, and/or loss of the ‘cushioning’ between vertebrae. Spinal disks are rubbery cushions between vertebrae that act as shock absorbers, as we age, these disks will naturally degenerate, which can allow for the bones to rub together – which, understandably, can cause extreme pain. It can also lead to herniated disks, adult scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, or spinal stenosis.

Overstretching or pulling a muscle in the back is common among all age groups. When a muscle is overstretched or tears, the surrounding tissues typically become inflamed which can easily lead to back spasms, stiffness, lack of mobility, or additional injury due to compensation.

This condition occurs when the soft center of a spinal disc pushes through a crack in the tougher exterior casing. Bulging or herniated discs sometimes have no symptoms or related pain, while others can irritate the surrounding nerves, resulting in numbness, pain, and/or extremity weakness.

You might benefit from physical therapy if you have:

Acute and chronic lower back and neck pain
Muscle-tension headaches
Pain extending into the arms or legs
General arthritic back complaints
Lumbar spinal stenosis
Work-related back pain
Recently had back surgery

Request an Appointment Today

Physical therapy for back injuries varies widely, but may include:

Stabilization-based exercises
Gait training
Posture training
Core strengthening

Start Moving Better Today

If you’re living with back or spine pain, don’t wait. Contact us today to schedule your evaluation and find out how Reform Physical Therapy can help you move better, feel stronger, and get back to doing what you love.