Symptom behavior
We ask what aggravates or eases your symptoms, how they change throughout the day, and whether pain stays in the back or travels into the buttock or leg.
Individualized Back Pain Care
Back pain is common. Your treatment does not have to be generic.
Back pain can behave very differently from one person to the next. At Nick Rinard Physical Therapy in Portland, we start by looking at your history, movement, function, and how your symptoms respond to specific positions and movements.
The goal is to identify useful patterns, choose treatment that matches your presentation, and give you practical strategies you can use outside the clinic.
What we look at during a back pain evaluation
Rather than assuming every episode of low back pain needs the same exercises, we look for findings that help guide an individualized plan.
Movement response
We assess motion and may use repeated or sustained movements to see whether your symptoms change in a consistent, clinically useful way.
Function and activity
We look at the tasks that matter to you—sitting, lifting, work, walking, running, sleep, exercise, or returning to a specific activity.
MDT / McKenzie Method and back pain
Our clinicians use principles from Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), also known as the McKenzie Method, when appropriate. MDT uses a structured mechanical assessment to understand how symptoms respond to movement and loading. It is not a single exercise or a one-direction-fits-all treatment.
Your plan may include education, specific exercises, movement or positioning strategies, progressive strengthening, and self-management tools based on what is useful during your evaluation.
Back pain symptoms we commonly evaluate
- Localized low back pain or stiffness
- Pain that is worse with sitting or bending
- Pain that is worse with standing or walking
- Recurrent episodes of low back pain
- Pain with lifting, work, exercise, or daily activity
- Symptoms into the buttock, thigh, calf, or foot that may be related to the spine
- Back pain after a change in activity or loading
- Persistent symptoms after an earlier injury or flare-up
What treatment may include
Treatment depends on the evaluation and how your symptoms respond. We emphasize active care and helping you understand what you can do between visits.
Targeted movement
Exercises or movement strategies selected because they produce a useful response—not simply because they are common “back exercises.”
Progressive loading
As symptoms and function allow, treatment can progress toward strength, tolerance, work demands, exercise, and the activities you want to return to.
Self-management
We want you to understand what influences your symptoms and have a clear plan for managing activity, recovery, and future flare-ups when appropriate.
When symptoms travel into the leg
Leg symptoms do not always mean the problem is located in the leg itself. In some presentations, the lumbar spine can contribute to pain, tingling, numbness, or other symptoms farther down the limb. A physical therapy evaluation can help determine whether the spine appears to be involved and whether physical therapy is an appropriate next step.
If your history or examination suggests that your symptoms need medical evaluation rather than physical therapy alone, we will recommend the appropriate next step.
Related resources from our Portland clinic
Work injuries: workers’ compensation care →
Back symptoms after a car accident: MVA care →
Sciatica and leg symptoms: evaluation and care →
Explore All Conditions We Treat →
What Is MDT? →
How leg symptoms can sometimes relate to the back →
How physical therapy treatment works at NRPT →
Self-treatment resources →
Back symptoms after a car accident: MVA care →
Sciatica and leg symptoms: evaluation and care →
Explore All Conditions We Treat →
What Is MDT? →
How leg symptoms can sometimes relate to the back →
How physical therapy treatment works at NRPT →
Self-treatment resources →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral?
Referral requirements can depend on your insurance or situation. See our referral information, or call our office and we can help you determine the next step.
How many visits will I need?
There is no single number that fits every episode of back pain. Your plan depends on the evaluation, your goals, symptom behavior, and how you progress.
Do I need imaging first?
Not everyone needs imaging before beginning physical therapy. Your history, symptoms, examination findings, and any prior medical work-up help determine whether additional evaluation is appropriate.
Southwest Portland
Schedule a back pain physical therapy evaluation
Nick Rinard Physical Therapy is located at 9700 SW Capitol Hwy, Suite 140, Portland, OR 97219.