If you’ve ever dealt with lower back pain, you already know how much it can take over your life. Getting out of bed feels harder than it should, sitting at your desk is uncomfortable, and even something simple like tying your shoes turns into a challenge.
That’s usually when people start thinking about physical therapy. But if you’ve never gone before, it’s normal to wonder:
“What exactly happens at PT for back pain?”
At Allegiance Physical Therapy in Foxborough, we work a little differently than most clinics. Because we’re a cash-based practice, we don’t rely on the quick, insurance-driven visits you may have heard about. Instead, we typically see clients once a week for a full 60 minutes, which gives us plenty of time to dig deep, make real progress, and get you back to feeling like yourself.
Let me walk you through what that looks like.
Starting Off: The First Visit
Your first session isn’t about rushing into exercises it’s about understanding you. We’ll sit down and talk about when your back pain started, what makes it worse, what you’ve tried already, and what you want to be able to do again.
Maybe your goal is running without pain. Maybe it’s getting back to golf. Or maybe it’s simply being able to get through the day without that nagging ache. Whatever it is, that’s where we’ll keep the focus.
From there, we’ll do a movement assessment. That usually means checking posture, flexibility, and core strength, but also looking at how your hips and legs are working. (Back pain often isn’t just about the back itself sometimes it’s how the whole system works together.)
Hands-On Work Comes First
Once we know what’s going on, we usually start with some hands–ontreatment. That could be loosening tight muscles, mobilizing stiff joints, or stretching areas that aren’t moving the way they should.
This isn’t a quick five-minute add-on it’s a big part of the session. Because we have the full hour, there’s time to really address the tension and stiffness that keep your back from healing.
Many people notice they feel looser or stand taller right after this part.
Exercises That Actually Make Sense
After that, we’ll move into exercise. Don’t picture rows of machines or being handed a generic sheet of stretches. Instead, we focus on movements that:
- Strengthen your core (so your spine has the support it needs)
- Improve flexibility in tight areas like hips and hamstrings
- Train you to move in ways that don’t keep aggravating your back
We’ll go through everything together during your visit. You’ll practice each exercise until you feel confident doing it at home. That way, the progress doesn’t stop when you walk out the door.
And because we spend an hour together, you’re not left guessing you’ll know exactly what to do between visits.
Education You Can Use Right Away
A big reason back pain keeps coming back is that people go right back to the same habits that caused it in the first place. That’s why we spend time on education too.
That might mean showing you how to adjust your chair at work, how to bend and lift without straining, or giving you a couple of quick mobility drills you can do at home in the morning.
It’s about giving you tools, not just a temporary fix.
Week by Week Progress
Most people are surprised at how much progress they can make with just one session per week. Here’s how it usually plays out:
- Weeks 1–3: Pain starts to ease, mobility improves
- Weeks 3–6: Core gets stronger, daily activities feel easier
- Weeks 6–12: More advanced exercises, preparing for sports or higher-level activity
Every case is different, but because each session is a full 60 minutes, you often need fewer visits overall compared to traditional PT clinics.
Why One Session a Week Works So Well
Here’s the thing: in most insurance-based settings, you might be told to come two or three times a week but those visits are usually shorter and less personal. You might spend more time with aides or on machines than with your therapist.
At Allegiance PT, we’d rather give you one full hour of focused care once a week. During that time, we can cover hands-on treatment, exercise, education, and progressions all in one go. Then you continue improving with your home plan during the week.
It’s more efficient, it’s more personalized, and for many people, it gets results faster.
Bottom Line: What to Expect at PT for Lower Back Pain
When you come to Allegiance Physical Therapy, here’s what you can count on:
- A thorough evaluation to figure out the real cause of your back pain
- One-on-one, hands-on treatment during every visit
- Exercises tailored to you (not a generic routine)
- Education that helps you keep the pain away
- Weekly, one-hour sessions that get you better with fewer visits
Back pain doesn’t have to keep holding you back. With the right plan and the right kind of care — you can get back to moving comfortably, feeling stronger, and living without constant discomfort.
📞 Call Allegiance Physical Therapy today or schedule online to set up your first visit. One session a week might be all it takes to finally feel like yourself again.
