Most back pain isn't a back problem. We find what's overloading your spine and fix that, so you stop managing flare-ups and get your life back.
WHY IT KEEPS COMING BACK
Back pain changes how you sit, stand, move, sleep, and train. For some people it starts suddenly after an injury. For most, it builds quietly. Repetitive stress, poor movement patterns, or limitations somewhere else in the body that the spine ends up absorbing.
By the time people come to us, symptoms usually keep returning, movement feels restricted, and everyday things, like bending, lifting, sitting through a meeting, are harder than they should be. The problem is rarely the spine on its own. It’s the hips, core, and surrounding structures failing to share the load.
Sharp or dull, constant or intermittent — we look past the site of pain and address how the whole system is working.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Back pain rarely presents the same way twice. Find the pattern that sounds like yours. It will tell us a lot about where to start.
Aching, burning, or numbness running into the glute, hamstring, or calf — often a nerve being irritated by how you load and bend.
Fine when you're moving, miserable after a desk day or a long drive. Usually a tolerance problem, not a damage problem.
Twenty minutes to loosen up before you feel human. Stiffness that returns daily points to control and mobility, not age.
You calm it down, get back to normal, and it returns weeks later. The driver was never addressed — only the symptom.
THE ROOT CAUSE
When the hips don't rotate or extend well, the lower back makes up the difference on every step, squat, and lift.
Strength isn't the same as control. We test whether your trunk can hold position under real load, not just hold a plank.
Flare-ups are often a capacity gap: the demands of your day exceed what your spine is currently built to handle.
Avoiding bending, lifting, or training makes the back more sensitive over time. Rebuilding confidence is part of the plan.
CONDITIONS TREATED
A diagnosis tells you what's irritated. It doesn't tell you why. We treat the condition and the movement problem behind it.
THE ROOT CAUSE
Four phases, in order. Skip a step and the pain finds its way back.
Hands-on treatment and targeted movement to reduce irritation fast — so we can actually work on the cause.
Give the hips, spine, and thoracic region back the range they've lost, so your back stops absorbing the difference.
Retrain how you bend, brace, hinge, and lift, so good mechanics happen automatically — not just in the clinic.
Load the system until your back handles more than your life demands. That margin is what keeps pain from returning.
Ready to get to the root cause? Take the first step toward a pain-free life. Request your appointment below.
COMMON QUESTIONS
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Learn the proven approach to overcoming back pain for the long term. This free guide explains why pain persists and how to build strength, restore movement, and stay pain-free.
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Rating
If you’re looking for a physical therapist who truly goes above and beyond, I cannot recommend Jose Rodriguez at Next Level Physical Therapy enough. I originally went in for low back pain, but what I received was so much more than treatment for a single issue. Jose has an incredible depth of knowledge, not just about movement, but about how the entire body works together as one system. He helped me understand how every area of the body affects the others, and for the first time, everything actually made sense. What impressed me most was how personalized every session was. He never used a one-size-fits-all approach. Every recommendation, exercise, and explanation was tailored specifically to my body, my experiences, and my goals. He took the time to explain everything in detail, making sure I truly understood not just what we were doing, but why we were doing it. Even more importantly, Jose teaches in a way that empowers you. Instead of simply treating you during your appointment, he gives you the knowledge and tools to continue improving long after you leave. His goal is clearly to help you become stronger, healthier, and more confident, not dependent on him. The appointments are somehow both educational and genuinely fun. You leave learning something new every single time, and you can tell he is passionate about helping people feel their best. One thing that really sets Jose apart is how available and invested he is. He makes himself accessible if questions come up, and you never feel like just another patient on his schedule. He listens carefully when you explain what’s going on, genuinely cares about what you’re experiencing, and wants to find the root cause, not just put a bandage on the symptoms. I also appreciate how realistic his approach is. He understands that people have jobs, families, and busy lives. He doesn’t expect perfection, he focuses on consistent progress, which makes the entire process feel achievable and sustainable. Jose has completely changed the way I think about my body, movement, and recovery. If you’re dealing with pain or simply want someone who is incredibly knowledgeable, compassionate, and invested in your long-term health, you won’t find anyone better. I would recommend him to absolutely anyone without hesitation.
As a mechanic, I spend most of my day hunched over engine bays or working with my hands above my head while servicing vehicles on a lift. Years of that took a toll on my body, and I came to Next Level PT with chronic low back pain and herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. Dr. Erin took the time to thoroughly evaluate not only my injuries but also the underlying causes of my pain. She developed a personalized treatment plan with corrective exercises and strengthening routines focused on improving my stability, mobility, and long-term function rather than just treating the symptoms. I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my back pain, and I’ve also learned how to move and work in ways that help prevent future injuries. Dr. Erin is knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely invested in her patients’ success. I highly recommend Next Level PT to anyone dealing with pain, especially those in physically demanding trades like automotive repair.
Came in there coukdnt stand straight. All kinds of hip and low back pain.. and functional scholosis. My spine was twisted like an S .. needless to say.. the therapy has really made a diffarence in my day to day. Like and has me pretty limit free im the Gym now THANL YOU Elyse!!
I originally came in to see Dr. Erin for upper back pain, but what has impressed me most is her comprehensive approach to physical therapy. Rather than focusing only on where I was experiencing pain, she evaluated how my body was moving as a whole to identify the underlying causes. Dr. Erin is incredibly knowledgeable and does a great job explaining how everything in the body is connected, which has helped me better understand my movement and recovery. I've already noticed meaningful improvements and really appreciate that the focus is on long-term results rather than just treating symptoms.
Dr Hayes from NLPT has been seeing me for back pain. She's very professional, knowledgeable and cordial. Highly recommend.!
Dr. Devi is literally the best answer/cure that every perpetually injured runner could possibly hope to have and work with. I went to Next Level to do a running gait analysis after about 10 years of pain from running-induced sciatica that ended up getting to the point where it was sending painful shocks all the way up my back from impact. Devi is a seasoned runner herself and is super knowledgeable about anatomy, and it's so reassuring to go into a session and openly discuss running related injuries and soreness at length, and actually get answers back as to what's wrong and what to do besides "stretch and ice it". As I made progress we naturally found other problem areas which were the results of old injuries never fully addressed, to which she modified my recovery plan each time, and since then I've been running pain-free and I haven't had back pain since first calling Next Level. "I can't run because it throws my back out" was proven wrong and I'm happy I got to work with Devi at Next Level to heal my injuries.
After suffering from excruciating back spasms for months, with no relief from stretching, muscle relaxants, or anti-inflammatories, I was referred to Next Level Physical Therapy in Southampton, PA, by a staff member at Motivators Personal Training. Dr. Artem was phenomenal! First he asked me to set some specific goals for our work together. Being pain-free was too vague, he said, so I decided to aim for sleeping through the night comfortably and resuming my 3- to 5-mile hikes without pain. Initial sessions focused on gentle manipulation, trigger point release, foam rolling, and dry needling (similar to acupuncture). Throughout each hour-long session, Dr. Artem tested the effectiveness of each method by repeatedly checking my flexibility and range of motion. He explained everything clearly, often asking whether I understood and if I had any questions. As my back pain gradually began to improve, Dr. Artem shifted the focus to various corrective and stability exercises. When I was ready to return to the gym, he gave me a set of warm-up exercises and pointers on which lifts to do and which to avoid. Finally, after I had been spasm-free for a couple weeks, he gave me core-building exercises using body weight and/or dumbbells to address the root of my lumbar pain - my weak core. He also felt that unilateral exercises such as one-legged deadlifts would help to address various imbalances. He was truly amazing at noticing subtle differences between my right and left side. After every session, he emailed a list of exercises to focus on that week, complete with videos. I am so grateful to Dr. Artem's professional skills, thoroughness, care, and concern. Shout-out to Jess for making the scheduling process easy and for always greeting me with a smile and a chat when I arrived.
I have been under the care of Dr. Matt at Next Level Physical Therapy for about two years. The approach of NextLevel is to figure out what is your underlying problem, and understand your lifestyle and your goals. They have a unique support model of personal attention by one staff member for an hour session. Dr. Matt has helped me through several episodes of lower back pain, and designed a program of healing and strengthening not only the lower back but the entire body. I highly recommend Dr. Matt and NextLevel therapy.
"When I first came to Dr. Matt, I was in rough shape. Years of working as a mechanic had taken a serious toll on my body. My back pain was constant and exhausting—standing too long, bending, even just moving certain ways would leave me hurting for the rest of the day. I had pain shooting down my leg, trouble sleeping, and could barely get through a workday, let alone enjoy time with my family. I’d already seen specialists, done physical therapy, and gotten MRIs and X-rays that showed some pinched nerves. Things would improve a little here and there, but the back pain never really let up. Honestly, I was starting to think this was just how life would be from now on. Then I found Dr. Matt—and everything changed. He took the time to really listen and figure out what was going on, not just treat the symptoms. His care was spot-on and actually made a difference. Over time, the pain started to ease up, my energy came back, and I was able to move like myself again. Now I’m back at work full-time, wrenching, lifting, doing what I love—and I’ve even got my weekends back. I can go on adventures with my family again, something I honestly thought was off the table for good.
I came in with severe low back pain … the kind that was stopping me from training and even affecting daily life. I’ve been training jiu-jitsu for over a decade and have collected more injuries than I can count, in fact, I have multiple herniations and severe disc degeneration, so I’ve worked with plenty of PTs over the years. What I experienced with Artem stood out immediately. From day one, he built a clear, personalized framework for rehabilitation that actually made sense. We didn’t just treat symptoms, we worked on the underlying issues, step by step. The plan was structured, intentional, and tailored to the demands of my body and training . We executed it together, and for the first time in a long time, I’ve seen consistent, meaningful improvement. I’m moving better, feeling stronger, and getting back to the mats with confidence. If you’re an athlete, especially in combat sports, or someone dealing with chronic pain, this is the place you want to be. Artem knows the body and delivers results! I give him the highest recommendation.
Request an appointment and we'll find what's actually driving your pain — then build the plan that keeps it gone.