Back Pain Physical Therapy in Salt Lake City

Back pain appointments and locations

• Free 15-minute consultation: talk through your goals and questions before choosing an appointment.
• Initial evaluation: a 60-minute individual appointment with Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, Cert. MDT, for assessment, explanation and practice.
• New in-person clients: currently book at our Holladay location, 4890 Highland Dr, Holladay, UT 84117, serving Greater Salt Lake City. Holladay clinic information.
• Virtual appointments: ask about coaching or whether clinical virtual PT is available for your needs and location.

We are a cash-pay, out-of-network practice. You pay the clinic directly; we provide a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible reimbursement. Your appointment is individual time with Dr. Emily to assess, practice and adjust your plan. Learn about out-of-network care and HSA/FSA payment, or ask us about payment arrangements during your free consultation.

What you will leave your first appointment with

Your first 60-minute appointment is one-on-one with Dr. Emily. We begin with your story, assess how you move and practice your starting plan together.

1. A clearer understanding. We explain what we find, how your symptoms respond and what that means for your next step.
2. A plan you can practice. Learn your starting movements, what to notice afterward and how to adjust them.
3. A meaningful way to track progress. Choose an activity you want back—sitting comfortably, walking farther or lifting with confidence.

Bring comfortable clothes, previous exercises and relevant reports you already have. Our first-visit guide and preparation worksheets can help you organize your questions.

Low back pain, sciatica and other conditions we assess

• Recurring low back pain: symptoms with sitting, bending, lifting, or returning to workouts.
• Sciatica and radiating leg pain: assessment of pain and associated tingling, numbness, or weakness.
• Herniated disc or bulging disc symptoms: a plan based on your examination and function, alongside relevant medical findings.
• Spinal stenosis: help planning activity around walking tolerance and symptom response.
• SI-region pain and spondylolisthesis: individualized assessment and progression.
• Scoliosis: curve-specific Schroth treatment connected to breathing, movement and your functional goals.
• Persistent pain or post-surgical rehabilitation: movement planning that considers sensitivity, your goals, and any surgical restrictions.

Physical therapy for chronic low back pain

Chronic back pain means pain that has lasted more than three months. It does not mean you are out of options. When pain has been part of life for a long time, even familiar activities can feel uncertain. We start with what you can manage now and help you build from there, at a pace that lets you gain confidence.

We combine movement with clear explanations and support. This approach is consistent with the World Health Organization’s guidance on chronic primary low back pain, which includes exercise and education as parts of care.

• When sitting or driving is difficult: we help you find more comfortable options and build up the time you can manage.
• When activity brings a flare-up: we find a manageable starting level and help you build from it.
• When movement feels worrying: we explain what you are feeling and practice at a pace that helps you grow more confident.

If your old exercises are no longer helping, bring them with you. We can look at what needs to change and give you a smaller, more useful plan to work on. You can also read our guides to chronic pain and hypersensitivity and what to do when previous PT has not helped.

What if back pain comes with osteoporosis or low bone density?

We can help you work on back comfort and bone health together. We use your history, strength and balance to choose a starting point, drawing on Dr. Emily’s BoneFit training and the principles of progressive resistance training studied in LIFTMOR. If you have osteoporosis and new, sudden back pain, arrange a medical assessment before increasing exercise loads. Learn about our bone-health care.

How we help you feel better and do more

Your symptoms and goals guide the plan. We combine careful assessment with practical treatment and support between visits.

• McKenzie assessment: find the movement that helps. Dr. Emily uses Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) to explore how your symptoms respond to positions and repeated movements. We use those findings to choose exercises and teach you what to notice at home.
• Pain education: understand what you are feeling. Questions such as “Am I hurting myself?” and “Why does this still hurt?” deserve time. We explain sensitivity and help you practice movement with growing confidence.
• Progressive strength: build toward your life. Work toward carrying groceries, picking up your child, walking hills or returning to workouts. We build from what you can manage now.
• Hands-on care: support more comfortable movement. Manual therapy and dry needling are in-person options when they fit your symptoms and preferences, alongside your movement plan.

What progress should feel like in your life

We want a change you can use: sitting through a meal, taking a longer walk, picking up your child or enjoying a workout again. We choose one or two priorities with you and use them alongside symptoms and movement to guide treatment.

• Start with something you can use. Leave with a practiced home plan, a clear starting amount and one or two everyday activities to track.
• Make the change carry over. At follow-up, we ask whether relief lasts, whether the task is easier and whether you feel more confident handling a flare-up.
• Build toward the full activity. As the starting point becomes manageable, we progress strength, endurance or the demands of lifting, hills and exercise around your response.

Early symptom relief is encouraging; lasting progress means doing more of what matters with a plan you understand. If the benefit is not carrying into your day, we reassess the direction, dose and wider approach rather than repeat an unchanged routine.

Back pain while sitting: a video from Dr. Emily Warren

Watch Dr. Emily explain a movement topic, then bring your questions to your visit. Our McKenzie exercise guide explains why the movement that helps one person may be different for another.

Common questions about back pain physical therapy

Can physical therapy help if earlier treatment did not?

There may still be a useful way forward. Bring the exercises you have tried and tell us what helped, what stayed the same and what felt difficult. We assess your response to movement, discuss your concerns and choose a manageable starting plan. Read our guide to getting more from physical therapy.

How many appointments will I need?

We choose follow-up around your starting point, goals and response. A useful movement change may show up during the assessment; strength, endurance and confidence develop with practice. At each review, we look at what is easier outside the clinic and explain what to progress next. The aim is a plan you can increasingly manage yourself, with further care that has a clear purpose.

Should I get an MRI or consider surgery first?

You can begin by talking with us about your symptoms and what has already been recommended. We help you explore nonsurgical care when it is appropriate and explain when imaging or a medical opinion would be useful. If you already have an MRI report, bring it. You do not have to make sense of it alone.

Can PT help with chronic pain and hypersensitivity?

Yes. We can help you work on comfortable movement, understand sensitivity and gradually return to activities you have been avoiding. We will take your symptoms seriously and start at a level you can manage. Our chronic pain and hypersensitivity guide explains more about this approach.

Are virtual appointments available for back pain?

Yes. We offer virtual coaching for movement education, wellness goals and ongoing encouragement. If you need a clinical assessment or treatment, we will confirm what is available for your location and whether an in-person visit would serve you better.

Can I start by talking with Dr. Emily?

Absolutely. You do not need to know which treatment to book. Request a free 15-minute consultation or call/text (385) 332-4939. Tell us what has been going on and what you would love to get back to. We will help you choose a next step.

When should back pain receive urgent medical attention?

Seek emergency care for new bladder or bowel dysfunction, loss of feeling around the groin, pain with weakness or numbness in both legs, or back pain after a serious accident. Severe sudden pain, rapidly worsening symptoms, fever or feeling unwell need prompt medical assessment. See the NHS back pain guidance for warning signs; in a US emergency, call 911.

Explore the back pain guides

• Back-pain home care: manageable activity and when to seek help
• When lower-back pain keeps returning
• McKenzie exercises: choosing the right movement
• Herniated disc recovery: milestones and reassessment
• Six questions when physical therapy is not working
• Chronic pain, allodynia, and hypersensitivity
• Understanding DEXA results and bone-health planning

Meet your physical therapist

Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, Cert. MDT, founded Mindful Movement PT in 2021. She has practiced physical therapy since 2012, with a background in neurological rehabilitation and a transition to spine-focused orthopedics in 2020. She is BoneFit trained and welcomes new in-person clients in Holladay, serving Greater Salt Lake City.