Want Less Joint Pain and More Mobility? Give Physical Therapy a Try!

For whatever reason, your joints just aren’t what they used to be. Whether you’ve been struggling with a recent injury that makes motion painful or you’re simply suffering the usual effects of age-related osteoarthritis, you can’t get around without aches and pains. But gulping down painkillers and leading a sedentary life aren’t very satisfactory solutions for most people. If you want to enjoy your life as fully as possible without being limited by joint aches and stiffness, it’s time to think about an all-natural answer: physical therapy with Premier Therapy Centers.

Understanding Joint Stiffness and Pain

To understand how physical therapy can help you with your joint symptoms, first, it’s important to understand why those symptoms are happening. Joint stiffness and pain can be caused by a variety of problems. In an acute sprain or strain, for instance, the joints’ muscles, tendons or ligaments may be damaged. The resulting inflammation can be both painful and immobilizing.

But soft tissue injuries don’t have to occur in a dramatic accident — they can also develop slowly over months or years. If your chosen sport, job or hobby causes you to overstress certain joints over and over again, you may end up with chronic tendinitis or bursitis. Sometimes, you can even develop soft tissue pain from doing nothing. For instance, a condition called adhesive capsulitis, or “frozen shoulder,” can make your shoulder all but unusable if you’ve had your arm in a sling for a long time.

Perhaps the most common cause of joint pain and stiffness is osteoarthritis. Everyone gets older, after all, and this condition usually stems from age-related deterioration of the cartilage between the bones in a joint. But many people also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, a painful, damaging joint condition caused by autoimmune issues.

Types of Physical Therapy to Consider

As you can see, there are many ways to develop joint aches and pains. Fortunately, there are also many forms of physical therapy that can address these symptoms, easing your pain and extending your range of motion. Our physical therapist will start by evaluating your condition carefully, from your overall health and your daily activities to how and when you experience your symptoms. Evaluation of the joint itself, and of your ability to move it, can reveal exactly what the underlying problem is. This leads us toward recommending specific kinds of physical therapy, such as:

  • RICE — RICE stands for “Rest,” “Ice,” “Compression” and “Elevation.” If you’re nursing an acute joint injury, our physical therapist may prescribe this protocol to reduce pain and swelling.
  • Stretching exercises�— Stretching exercises help injured muscles and connective tissues heal back to their former length and range of motion. These exercises are also good for keeping arthritic joints from becoming stiffer. Our physical therapist may also recommend workouts on a treadmill or stationary bicycle.
  • Joint mobilization techniques — Working with a balance board or “wobble board” can help you improve your pain-free range of motion, especially in the foot or ankle joints. You may also benefit from techniques aimed at breaking up internal scar tissue, which can form over old injuries and cause chronic stiffness.

Get a Personalized Treatment Plan From Our Physical Therapist

Our physical therapist can create a personalized physical therapy plan to suit your specific needs and goals. So don’t put up with painful joints — contact our physical therapy Commerce Township MI  and West Bloomfield Township MI offices today!

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Finding Relief for Arthritis Pain Sufferers!

Millions of individuals struggle with arthritis pain and stiffness. There are several important steps arthritis sufferers can take to relieve achy, stiff joints. Physical therapy can be part of an effective plan to ease the pain while remaining active. Call Premier Therapy Centers today to find out how a physical therapy program can lessen or even eliminate your arthritis pain!

Why Choose the Right Foods?

Nutrition can play a crucial role in easing arthritis pain and discomfort. Besides avoiding MSG, refined carbs, and sugary foods, which can increase inflammation, you’ll want to add these great tasting foods that can help ease your arthritis pain.

  • Soy – High in protein and low in fat, soy is a great tasting way to fight inflammation. You can get your soy through tofu, soy milk, and roasted soybeans.
  • Broccoli – Broccoli has an ingredient called sulforaphane which may slow or even prevent osteoarthritis. Broccoli is great hot or cold and in salads or casseroles.
  • Ginger – Ginger may be able to help reduce inflammation and alleviate arthritis pain. It also adds incredible flavor to almost any food including soups, fruits, veggies, and meat.
  • Walnuts – Like fish, walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and can reduce inflammation. Walnuts can be eaten alone or added to almost any sweet or salty dish.

Why Stay Physically Active by Using Physical Therapy?

While exercise won’t reverse arthritis, it can help slow its progression and ease painful symptoms. Sticking with a regular exercise routine that’s provided by your physical therapist can also help you shed a few pounds, which will ease the strain on your joints. A physical therapist can show you several types of stretches and exercises that address your areas of pain. Physical therapy may also help you avoid taking excessive amounts of medication to reduce pain.

A physical therapist is trained to evaluate your condition and provide the correct exercises to meet your needs. Exercise during physical therapy may also include aquatics. Working out in water provides exercise that is soothing and non-impact. A physical therapist may recommend a heated pool to help relieve pain in arthritic joints.

Why Work With a Physical Therapist?

A physical therapy treatment program can ease the pain from arthritis and help improve your daily life. Working with a physical therapist can help with the following:

  • Strengthen Muscles – Muscles that surround and support aching joints can help limit arthritis pain when they’re stronger and more flexible. Physical therapy techniques can be used to increase strength.
  • Increase Range of Motion – A physical therapy program can help keep muscles and ligaments loose and reduce stiffness. This will lessen pain and improve your overall range of mobility.
  • Learn to Use Devices Correctly – A trained physical therapist can help you learn to use orthotics, walkers, and other assistive devices correctly. This will help lessen the strain on joints when you move.

What Methods Can a Physical Therapist Use?

A qualified physical therapist may use several treatment methods to help relieve arthritis pain. A physical therapist might use massage to loosen muscles and tendons that surround arthritic joints. Physical therapy might include the use of ice packs and ice baths to reduce inflammation. Your physical therapist may also use heating pads as well as other heat methods to loosen tight muscles. Physical therapy treatment may also include laser or ultrasound treatment.

A qualified physical therapist can put together an individualized program to help reduce your arthritis pain and keep you as active as possible. Physical therapy is an excellent way to keep your joints, tendons, and muscles working together efficiently. Contact our physical therapy Commerce Township MI and West Bloomfield Township MI offices to see how physical therapy can help you live a pain-free life!

9 Reasons Why You Need to Start Stretching

If you haven’t made stretching a part of your daily life yet, here is the only question we have for you: Why not? A good stretch is the perfect way to start your day, whether you’re young or old, fit or unfit. There are tremendous benefits to stretching, and we’re going to talk about why you need to start doing it today. If you don’t know where to start, get in touch with us at Premier Therapy Centers because a physical therapist can help!

Improve Your Energy Level

This is the best reason to get in a good stretch first thing in the morning. A few good stretches, conducted properly with deep breathing, can give you a burst of energy to start your day off. If you start to feel sluggish at work during the day, take a quick “stretch break” to boost your energy level.

Improve Your Flexibility

A common goal in physical therapy is to improve your flexibility and range of motion. Better flexibility carries a host of benefits. It improves your physical performance, reduces the chances of injury and when you become more flexible, your body requires less energy to carry out everyday actions.

Reduce Chance of Injury

You work in an office, so there’s no chance of getting injured, right? Except for that one time when you have to bend over, pick up and carry a 20-pound box of office supplies for some reason. And then, you pull or strain a muscle, resulting in several weeks of pain and physical therapy to recover. But that won’t happen to you, because you’ve been stretching on a regular basis, haven’t you? You’re welcome.

Improve Your Posture

Stretching every day can help posture by lengthening muscles that have a tendency to tighten up when we sit in a chair for work all day. Focusing on your lower back, chest and shoulders will aid in keeping your spine in the proper alignment. Stretching also relieves aches and pains, which can cause you to want to slouch.

Better Blood Circulation

One of the main goals of a stretching regimen is to get your blood flowing to the extremities. Blood carries oxygen to your cells and makes you healthier overall. That promotes cell growth and helps your organs function properly. Stretching also lowers your heart rate, which reduces strain on your heart and causes your blood pressure to become more consistent. Best of all, the better blood circulation from stretching reduces post-workout soreness.

Improve Your Cholesterol

Stretching sessions can help to reduce cholesterol in your body, as long as you’re also following a heart-healthy diet. This can help you to avoid heart disease. Stretching has even been shown to reverse the effects of hardening arteries due to cholesterol.

Improve Your Stamina

A good, long stretching session after a heavy workout can actually improve the stamina of your muscles. When you stretch, it increases the blood flow to those sore muscles and relieves fatigue. Stretching keeps oxygen flowing to your muscles, which delays the onset of muscle fatigue. This, in turn, helps your muscles to “hang in there” for a longer period of time before fatigue sets in!

Reduce Muscle Soreness

Give your muscles plenty of time to relax and loosen up with a good stretch before and after a workout. As mentioned, stretching improves blood flow to the muscles. This carries oxygen and plenty of necessary nutrients to the muscles, which in turn reduces soreness after your workout.

Reduce Stress

We carry stress in our bodies. Too much stress can cause your muscles to contract, which makes you feel tense and on edge. Stretching can release endorphins which will relax you, improve your mood and reduce stress in the body.

If you’re excited to start stretching but don’t know where to begin, we’re here to help! Contact our physical therapy Commerce Township MI or West Bloomfield Township MI office today to set an appointment with a physical therapist if you want to add stretching to your daily life.

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Constant Stress-Related Headaches? Here’s How Physical Therapy Can Help

Sometimes, a pill just doesn’t cut it when it comes to stress headaches. This class of headache includes the classic “band of pressure” around your head, as well as generalized aching and tenderness. The kind of muscle tension and emotional stress that lead to this type of head pain can create a complex chain reaction. Physical therapy provides relaxation and posture correction. You’ll not only experience relief of your current headache, but future stress headaches may decrease. Contact us at Premier Therapy Centers to see how we can help you live a headache free life!�

Hands-On Relief

Some headache prevention techniques are simple enough to do at home. But a physical therapist can provide a more targeted approach when you’re anticipating a stress headache — or are in the grip of one. Alternating cold and heat therapy is a simple but effective strategy. These specialized compresses and gentle electronic pulse wands ease muscle strain. They also provide soothing relief.

Manual therapy also includes massage for stress headache treatment. Soft tissue mobilization relaxes tense muscles. Because of this effect, massage can provide immediate pain relief, or prevent future headaches. If you are currently having a headache, a physical therapy session eases the pain by relaxing the muscles in your jaw, temples, neck, and shoulders.

In addition, patients with chronic tension headaches report decreased incidents of head pain when undergoing regular massage therapy. It’s believed that relaxing the muscles in and around the head prevent the contractions that result in pain.

Physical therapy massage also helps ease the emotional stress that causes you to tense those muscles. In addition, people who get regular therapeutic massages report getting better rest, which leads to less stress during the day.     �

Posture Correction

The way we stand and sit can influence how much pressure is put on various muscles. Poor posture compresses muscles and nerves. For many people, these overworked muscles and nerves in the shoulder, chest and neck area trigger tension headaches.

Your physical therapist can help evaluate your posture for areas that need improvement. He or she will also demonstrate the correct way to move, sit and stand. These changes place less stress on overworked muscles.

In addition to demonstrating chest, back and shoulder positions, a physical therapist can suggest lifestyle changes. Modifications to workstations at home and at work often have a big effect on posture. They might include a telephone headset, a raised computer monitor, a specialized chair and even a rubber mat to stand on while doing kitchen tasks.

Strength Training

Your shoulders, back and neck do a lot of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to keeping you supported throughout the day. If the muscles in these areas are too weak, they get overworked. Physical therapy work on neck and upper back muscles involves resistance training to build up the muscles.

For many people, stronger upper body muscles equate to fewer — and less intense — stress headaches. Exercises might start with simple chin-to-chest nods to build neck strength. Free weights and resistance bands build up shoulder and back muscles.

Flexibility Improvement

The more that you’re able to move your neck and shoulders as you move through your day, the less pressure you put on the major muscle groups in those areas. This potentially alleviates some of your stress headaches. In physical therapy, you’ll learn moves that will stretch your neck and loosen up your chest and shoulder muscle and tendon groups. Doing these regularly may help some people with chronic stress headaches. �

Want to learn more about relieving the frequency and severity of your chronic stress headaches? Contact our office in Commerce Township MI or West Bloomfield Township MI to learn more. We’ll set up an evaluation of your specific challenges. Our physical therapist also suggests a course of treatment to help you relax muscles, sleep better and make lifestyle choices that can fight off some of those debilitating stress headaches. �

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5 Quick Tricks to Stay Active!

As humans, we are on a never-ending hamster wheel that demands we get as much done as possible, but it’s time that we all become a little more realistic about what is and isn’t possible through sheer willpower.

Repeat after us: My willpower has limits.

Try as you might, you can’t accomplish world peace (or even your to-do list) within a 24-hour period. Instead, you must employ tricks and tips to stay engaged, motivated, and active on your quest to do it all.

Here, Premier Therapy Centers gives you five quick tricks — that is, easy strategies that you can quickly implement — to stay active and involved in that thing called life.

Tip #1: Embark on a Mission to Live Pain-Free

What’s the number one reason people give for not staying active? Pain.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most Americans experience chronic pain. An estimated 25.3 million adults reported pain every day for the preceding three months in a 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Nearly 40 million adults acknowledge suffering from severe pain, which is also a predictor of other health concerns.

Fortunately, there is an effective, easy way to abolish most of your pain: physical therapy. Hands-on therapy from a trained physical therapist or treatments such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation can help alleviate pain and restore muscle and joint function to help you lead a more active lifestyle.

Tip #2: Get Better Sleep

Though it may seem counterintuitive to say that you need more sleep when you’re trying to stay active, such a statement is accurate.

Sleep disturbances occur in one-third of the US population, and yet sleep is vital for the proper functioning of the body. Physical therapy can help you achieve better sleep�and, therefore, achieve a higher degree of activity in your waking hours. Physical therapists are trained in areas critical to sleep, including pain modulation, cardiovascular health, tissue healing, and cognitive functioning. A physical therapist can also provide suggestions for how you can integrate sleep health with overall well being.

Tip #3: Use Interactive Tools

There are a variety of products on the market that will encourage, inspire, and track your physical activity. Research shows that utilizing such products may, indeed, have a favorable impact on your levels of activity. The key to success is to establish daily, weekly, or monthly goals that are easily tracked within the tool. Other strategies that are helpful include:

  • Use the tool every single day. Consistency makes something become a habit and habits are notoriously difficult to break.
  • Write down your goal. A common figure is 10,000 steps per day, yet it’s worthwhile to check with a medical professional to avoid overextending yourself.
  • Encourage your friends and family to use the tools as well. Many trackers have interactive features that allow you to measure your progress against someone else’s. This informal type of comparison can really serve as an effective motivator. Most of us also benefit from having a workout buddy.
  • Engage in activities that you enjoy. While tools come with limitations — namely what activities it measures — it is extremely helpful to choose a tracker based on the activities you enjoy. Such activities are easier to maintain over time.

Tip #4: Grab Rover

What they say is true: A dog may be man’s best friend. Or at least a good exercise companion.

The arrival of a new pet, particularly a dog, is an effective way to get owners moving. “Pets need activity, and actually can be your own accountability friend to get at least a short walk in daily. Even if the dog only forces you to get up and let it out without going for a walk, you will have burned more calories than if you sat in front of the television all day.” Your physical therapist may even suggest a dog as part of your treatment plan.

Tip #5: Get Cleaning

Cleaning your house employs a variety of muscle groups and keeps you active. Every step you take and every inch you vacuum helps you stay fit. For an added benefit, squeeze your glutes and abdominal muscles as you’re trailing from room to room.

Whether you’re on a quest to stay fit and healthy, or simply want to enjoy life more, call our physical therapy Commerce Township or West Bloomfield Township offices to find out how our physical therapist can help.

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Treating Arthritis Pain the Natural Way!

You’ve probably heard of people with arthritis turning to steroid injections, anti-rheumatic drugs and joint replacement surgery to cope with pain. And in some cases, these more aggressive treatments may help patients with severe arthritis. But for many patients, physical therapy and related natural treatments present better solutions. Call Premier Therapy Centers today to find out about your options.

Manual Therapy

Physical therapy isn’t just about doing specialized exercises. Manual therapy is the hands-on component of PT. These treatments not only gives arthritic patients much-needed pampering, but they also ease discomfort. Manual pain relief treatment often forms a significant portion of a physical therapy session for arthritis. Massage, heat and cold applications and even specialized machines all play a part in easing aching joints.

Your physical therapist can alternate heating pads and ice packs to naturally relieve pain. Ultrasound machines bring soothing heat deeper into affected joints. Targeted massage boosts circulation and creates a soothing, warming sensation for arthritic areas.

Building Range of Motion

For people with arthritis, stiff joints are painful joints. If you try to push the joint further than it can move, the resulting sensation ranges from a nagging twinge to sheer agony. That’s why increasing flexibility through physical therapy is yet another way to promote natural pain relief.

Range of motion work usually involves both flexibility and strength moves. The flexibility exercises gradually allow your joints to become more limber. Resistance exercises strengthen the muscles that support those joints. In this way, your complete physical therapy session will allow you to achieve greater freedom of movement. You’ll also have less discomfort.

Isolating Painful Joints

Sometimes, rest is the best cure for arthritic joints. Yet it’s impractical for most people to take long rest cures in bed. In fact, too much inactivity can actually worsen the problem by weakening surrounding muscles.

Instead, your physical therapist can help to isolate a painful joint. Bracing provides natural pain relief for your arthritic condition. A specialized neck collar, a wrist splint — wherever your arthritic pain may be, specialized support for that joint is possible. This type of bracing is another aspect of natural pain relief for arthritis.

Finding New Ways to Move

It’s not always simple to anticipate the actions that bring on arthritic twinges and sharp pains. Simply turning a corner while walking can cause your arthritic shoulder to tense and twist in a way that you never even noticed before — that is until a jolt of pain shoots through you! That’s why learning new ways to move can help you avoid some of those unwelcome sensations over the course of a day.

During physical therapy, patients with arthritis learn which motions lead to discomfort. Then, the physical therapist demonstrates new joint protection techniques. They can be as simple as using a purse with a particular kind of strap to take pressure off your wrists. Exiting the car or entering a bathtub differently are also common techniques.

If you have arthritic fingers, a physical therapist can demonstrate how to carry objects with your palms instead of grasping them. Laying objects across the arms instead of carrying them in your hands is another common technique. Physical therapy can also “hook you up” with the latest tools — gadgets that make day-to-day tasks much less challenging.

Of course, each patient is different when it comes to the best type of physical therapy and related natural treatments for arthritis. Much depends on the location and severity of your condition. Call our Commerce Township or West Bloomfield Township, MI
office today to learn more. A physical therapist on our team can give you a careful assessment. This evaluation determines the best methods to provide you with natural pain relief.

What you eat can make you hurt more…

How Your Diet Can Make Your Aches and Pains Worse

Do you suffer from chronic aches and pains? If so, then you’re not alone. Often times, “mystery” aches and pains are actually caused by localized inflammation in the body, which can occur as a result of overuse or even injury. And while there are anti-inflammatory medications available to help relieve pain, these come with their own potential for adverse side effects. What many people fail to realize is that inflammation can be hugely impacted by your diet and nutrition. By avoiding certain foods, you can prevent inflammation from occurring in the first place. And by eating the right foods, you can not only rid your body of toxins, but reduce inflammation as well.

Top Foods to Avoid

There are numerous foods and drinks that you should actively avoid if you’re suffering from pain caused by inflammation. Caffeinated beverages rank among the top of the list due to the affect that it can have on your body; specifically, caffeine can alter your body’s pH balance, resulting in an increase in acidity. This increases inflammation by changing your body’s natural chemical processes.

Sugar and artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame) should also be avoided. Sugar, for example, causes your body’s insulin levels to spike and thus makes you even more sensitive to pain. Aspartame has a similar effect on the body. This means you should avoid any foods and beverages with added sugars and artificial sweeteners (including diet sodas). Even some seemingly healthy fruit juices have sugar added, so it’s important to avoid them.

Nightshade vegetables are another type of food worth avoiding if you face pain caused by inflammation; unfortunately, these vegetables are known to increase the inflammatory response in a person’s body. Some examples of these include eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Some other foods and drinks to avoid include:

  • white breads
  • coffee creamer
  • alcohol

Tips for Reducing Pain Through Nutrition

Now that you know which types of foods you should avoid if you suffer from pain due to inflammation, what kinds of changes can you make in your diet to promote a healthier and pain-free lifestyle? For starters, opting for a more natural diet of greens, fresh fruits, and certain vegetables (not nightshade) is a great way to reduce inflammation and pain. And perhaps one of the best things you can do for yourself is to simply drink more water. If you’re the type of person who drinks a lot of juices, sodas, and other questionable beverages, you might be amazed at how much better you feel just by switching to water. That’s because water can help flush toxins out of your body, which can in turn reduce pain caused by inflammation.

If you’re not doing so already, now is also a good time to start working to improve your gut health. Consider, for example, taking a daily probiotic, which will help balance out the bacteria in your gut. There are also foods you can eat that contain natural probiotics, such as yogurt. Just be sure to avoid yogurts that have a lot of added sugar and flavoring. Plain, Greek yogurt is typically your safest option here. You can always add a little granola or even fresh berries for more flavor.

Dealing with pain due to inflammation is something nobody should have to deal with. Unfortunately, this is a problem that plagues a large portion of the population. By understanding what foods worsen your inflammation and how you can reduce it through a healthier and more natural diet, however, you can find ways to reduce pains without the need for medications. For more details contact our Physical Therapist�located at Commerce Township and West Bloomfield Township, MI.

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Why Low Back Pain May Not Go Away

Causes of Low Back Pain & How Physical Therapy Can Help

Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people cite for making an appointment with a physical therapist. Most people suffer from lower back pain to varying degrees at some point in their lives. Sometimes, lower back pain is more of an annoyance than anything else, but when lower back pain becomes severe, it can be seriously debilitating and prevent you from living your life. Typically, the sooner you seek treatment for lower back pain, the sooner you can find lasting relief.

Common Causes of Lower Back Pain

There are numerous potential causes for lower back pain. These days, poor posture and alignment of the spine is becoming an increasingly common cause—likely due to the fact that more people work in sedentary desk jobs than ever before. Without the proper lumbar support from an ergonomic desk chair, lower back pain can quickly occur as a result of poor posture and limited movement of the spinal joints throughout the day. Even those who are on their feet most of the day can suffer from lower back pain due to poor spinal and abdominal muscle support and lack of proper coordination of the spinal muscles.

While lower back pain cannot always be prevented, it is possible to reduce your risk of lower back injuries and pain by making sure your back is well supported with proper posture throughout the day. For desk workers, this could mean investing in an ergonomic desk chair. For others, it may mean purchasing a quality pair of athletic shoes that will provide the proper level of foot and back support throughout the day.

Physical Therapy for Back Pain Relief

The good news is that if you’re suffering from lower back pain, physical therapy may be able to help. Seeking physical therapy as treatment for your lower back pain is always recommended before you decide to start taking any prescription medications. After all, anti-inflammatory and other medication may relieve your back pain in the short-term, but can also lead to long-term side effects. With physical therapy, you can enjoy a non-invasive and drug-free approach to long-term back pain relief. And physical therapy should always be attempted before taking any drastic measures, such as having back surgery done.

There are two common forms of physical therapy used for the treatment of lower back pain. These are passive and active physical therapy, and they differ greatly in their techniques and methods.

Passive physical therapy relies on techniques performed directly on the patient. This can include anything from applying heat or ice packs to the affected area or even stimulating the area with controlled electricity. Other modalities used here may include ultrasonography, TENS units, and iontophoresis.

Active physical therapy, on the other hand, refers to steps the patient will take (as instructed by a physical therapist) to treat and reduce lower back pain. Typically, this comes in the form of different exercises and stretches that are designed to reduce lower back pain and minimize future flare-ups as well. Some common examples of active physical therapy may include low-impact aerobic conditioning and back strengthening exercises. These can be done in your physical therapist’s office or at home, depending on your specific needs.

Overall, physiotherapy can be a great option for treating just about any level of lower back pain. Through a combination of active and passive physical therapy, you can work towards reducing your pain and increasing your lower back strength to avoid future problems. Contact Premier Therapy Centers to find out more about how we can help you overcome lower back pain.