Find Your Condition
Physical therapy helps with far more than most people realize. Find what you're dealing with below, or call us and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help.
Many people don't know that physical therapists treat conditions like vertigo, bladder leaks, jaw pain and headaches, alongside back, neck and joint pain. At ARI Physical Therapy in Bakersfield, every visit is one-on-one with a licensed physical therapist, and in California you can start without a referral.
Pain that runs from your low back into your buttock or leg, often from an irritated disc or nerve, or stiffness and aching in the back itself. Most people improve without surgery, and specific exercise and hands-on care are the recommended first step.
An MRI report that says “disc bulge” or “herniation,” a back that seizes up when you bend, or pain that shoots into your leg when you sit. Disc problems sound scary, but most get better without surgery, and the right exercise is a big part of that.
Your legs ache, tingle or feel heavy after a few minutes of walking or standing, and the only fix is to sit down or lean on something. That pattern is often lumbar spinal stenosis, and the right exercise can help you walk farther.
A deep ache on one side of your low back or buttock, right around the dimple, that flares when you climb stairs, roll over in bed or stand on one leg. That pattern often points to the sacroiliac joint.
Headaches that begin at the base of the skull or on one side of the head, often worse with certain neck positions or long hours at a desk. Hands-on treatment for the neck and targeted strengthening can reduce how often they come and how bad they get. A sudden, severe or “worst ever” headache needs a doctor right away.
Pain that runs from your neck into your shoulder blade and down your arm, or tingling and numbness in your fingers. A pinched nerve in the neck can be very painful, but most people get better without surgery.
A knot between your shoulder blades after a day at the computer, a stiff mid back when you twist, or an ache that builds while you look down at your phone. Upper back pain is common, and it usually responds well to movement, strength and a few changes to your day.
Neck pain, stiffness and headaches after a car accident can show up hours or days later. Once a doctor has ruled out a serious injury, gentle movement, hands-on care and progressive exercise help you recover and get back to normal activity. If you have severe neck pain, numbness or weakness after a crash, get checked by a doctor first.
Pain in many places, fatigue and poor sleep, with good days and bad days. Gentle exercise that builds at your pace is one of the most recommended treatments for fibromyalgia, alongside your doctor's care.
Pain reaching overhead or behind your back, pain lying on that side at night, or a shoulder that has slowly stiffened. Physical therapy restores motion first, then rebuilds strength, and most rotator cuff and frozen shoulder problems improve without surgery.
A catch of pain partway up as you lift your arm, or an ache on the outside of the shoulder after reaching, lifting or overhead work. This kind of shoulder pain is very common, and most people improve with the right exercise, without surgery.
Pain on the outside (tennis) or inside (golfer’s) of the elbow, worse with gripping, lifting or typing, and you don't have to play either sport to get it. Progressive tendon-strengthening exercise, changes to how you grip and work, and hands-on care are the mainstays of treatment.
Numbness or tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often worse at night, driving or typing. For mild to moderate symptoms, physical therapy with nerve and tendon gliding exercises, splinting advice and changes to how you use your hands can help. Constant numbness or hand weakness should be checked by a doctor.
A finger that catches or locks, an ache at the base of your thumb, a wrist that is stiff and weak after a cast. Your hands do almost everything, and many hand and wrist problems improve with the right exercise and a few simple changes.
Pain that builds with repeated gripping, lifting, running or overhead work. A progressive strengthening program is the first-line treatment for most tendon pain, with better long-term results than rest alone.
Groin pain when you walk, stiffness putting on socks, or an aching outer hip that's worse lying on that side at night. Strengthening the hip and thigh muscles is a strongly recommended treatment for hip arthritis and painful outer-hip tendons.
Pain on stairs, stiffness after sitting, or a knee that swells after a busy day. Exercise-based physical therapy is one of the most strongly recommended treatments for knee osteoarthritis, and for some people it can put off the need for surgery.
Stiff fingers in the morning, knees that complain on the stairs, a back or hip that aches after a long day. Arthritis is common as we get older, but it doesn't have to mean giving up the things you enjoy.
A twist or pop, then swelling or a knee that gives way. Most MCL sprains heal without surgery, and rehab is central to ACL recovery, with or without reconstruction, and to a safe return to sport.
A twist on the court or the job site, or a knee that slowly started catching and swelling. A torn meniscus is one of the most common knee problems, and many people get back to the things they enjoy with the right rehab.
Sharp pain in the bottom of your heel with your first steps in the morning or after sitting. Hands-on therapy, stretching, taping, strengthening and footwear advice treat it without injections or surgery for most people.
A rolled ankle that stays weak or keeps giving way, or Achilles pain that's worst with your first steps in the morning. Balance training after a sprain lowers the chance of another one, and progressive strengthening is the first treatment for Achilles pain.
A sudden grab in the hamstring, calf, groin or back mid-activity. Early gentle movement and progressive strengthening heal strains and help stop the same muscle going again.
Knee pain a few miles in, shins that ache every time you add distance, a heel that hurts with the first steps of the day. Most running injuries can be treated without giving up running, and finding out why they happen is the key to keeping them away.
A knee that aches after every practice, a heel that hurts in cleats, a throwing arm that won't settle down. Young athletes are still growing, and their injuries need care that fits a growing body and a safe plan to get back in the game.
Pelvic floor therapy at ARI is for women, always one-on-one.
Leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift or exercise, or sudden urges you can't hold. Supervised pelvic floor muscle training is recommended as a first treatment for stress and mixed incontinence in women, before medication or surgery.
Leaking gas or stool, or urgency you can't hold, often after childbirth or around menopause. Pelvic floor training and bowel habit changes are a recommended first treatment.
A feeling of heaviness, pressure or bulging in the vagina, often after childbirth or menopause and worse at the end of the day. Supervised pelvic floor muscle training is recommended for symptoms of mild to moderate prolapse, along with lifting and bowel habits that reduce strain.
Pain with intercourse, pelvic or tailbone pain, or pain with tampons or exams is often linked to pelvic floor muscles that are tight or overworked. Pelvic floor therapy helps these muscles relax and work properly, gently and at your pace.
Bladder pain, pressure and frequent urges when tests keep coming back clear. Gentle pelvic floor therapy to relax tight muscles is recommended, rather than Kegels.
A gap or bulge down the middle of your belly after pregnancy, sometimes with low back pain or a “pooch” that exercise hasn't fixed. Physical therapy retrains your deep core and pelvic floor to work together so you can return to exercise with confidence.
Pain in the low back, at the back of the pelvis or at the pubic bone, often worse turning in bed, on stairs or standing on one leg. Gentle, one-on-one prenatal physical therapy eases pain and keeps you moving, adjusted to each trimester.
Scar tightness or numbness, a weak core, back pain, or trouble lifting your baby after a cesarean. Physical therapy helps you heal, rebuild your core and pelvic floor, and return to exercise.
The room spins for a few seconds when you roll over in bed, lie down or look up. This is often BPPV, the most common cause of vertigo, and repositioning treatment by a trained physical therapist often helps within a few visits.
Feeling unsteady, holding onto furniture, or afraid of falling again. Balance can be trained at any age, and exercise programs that build balance and leg strength reduce falls in older adults.
Aching in the jaw or temples, painful clicking, trouble opening wide, or clenching and grinding. Gentle hands-on care, jaw and neck exercises and habit changes are an effective first treatment for most TMJ problems.
If you've been told you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, the right exercise matters. Physical therapy teaches safe strengthening and weight-bearing exercise, balance training to lower your risk of falls, and ways to move that protect your spine.
Stiff and weak after a cast, boot or fracture surgery. Rehab restores motion, strength and walking while following your doctor's instructions for the healing bone.
Building strength and motion before a planned knee, hip or shoulder surgery, learning the exercises you'll use afterward, and preparing your home and routine, so recovery starts on a better footing.
Getting your new knee to bend and straighten, walking without a walker or limp, and handling stairs and the car again. One-on-one rehab that follows your surgeon's plan and precautions.
Protecting the repair while it heals, then bringing back motion and strength, step by step with your surgeon's protocol.
After a discectomy, laminectomy or fusion: a walking plan, trunk and leg strength, and safe ways to bend and lift within your surgeon's precautions.
Rehabilitation after joint replacement, ACL and rotator cuff repair, spine surgery and more, coordinated with your surgeon's protocol.
Looking for care by type instead? See all of our services, including sports injuries, chronic pain, pediatric therapy and prenatal and postpartum care.
Ready to feel better?
Talk to a licensed physical therapist at ARI, one-on-one. Request an evaluation and we'll get back to you, usually within one business day.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you have symptoms, a licensed clinician should evaluate you.