Back pain exercises · Chapel Hill
Back exercises haven’t helped? Let’s find your starting point.
Another stretch or core routine may not be what your back needs. At Royal Pain, we start by looking at what brings on your pain—and what changes it.
Clinical insights from Dr. Derek Nielsen, PT, DPT, owner of Royal Pain Physical Therapy.
Before repeating the same back exercises, notice the pattern.
Think about the movements and activities that bring your back pain back:
- Bending forward feels different from leaning backward.
- Lifting, workouts, or getting up from a chair brings on pain.
- Rest helps, but symptoms return when you start exercising again.
- You also notice hip stiffness or symptoms into a leg.
These symptoms don’t tell you exactly what’s causing the problem, but they give us more to investigate.
At Royal Pain, we assess the movements that hurt and how your back and hips move together. Your symptoms and treatment response help us identify what to address so you can work toward lasting relief.
The same symptom doesn’t mean the same problem.
One person may need help with mobility. Another may need strength or a different way to build back into lifting and exercise. A routine chosen only because it is labeled “back exercises” may miss what your situation needs.
At Royal Pain, we assess first to understand what your problem needs—then check your response to guide treatment toward lasting relief.
How Royal Pain finds your starting point.
Your symptoms, movement, and treatment response guide the plan—including what you can do on your own for pain relief.
Assess first.
At Royal Pain, we examine the movement that hurts and use a hands-on assessment to look for what may be contributing to your pain.
Treat and recheck.
We treat what we believe is contributing, then repeat the painful movement to check whether your symptoms improve. Your response guides what we do next.
Build on the response.
We use what helps to guide your treatment and show you what to do at home—so you can build on the relief and address what’s contributing to your pain.
A closer look at back pain.
Explore Royal Pain’s approach to recurring back pain, including questions about herniated discs, arthritis, and spinal stenosis.
Back pain care at Royal Pain
Not ready to book an appointment yet?
Get a free copy of Pain Is a Royal Nuisance and discover a process for addressing what may be keeping you in pain—without relying on medication or surgery.
Understand your options before deciding.
Talk with Dr. Nielsen about your back pain, what you’ve tried, and where he would start based on your symptoms.