The long-term objectives when it comes to Physical Therapy is basically to teach people how to manage and/or assuage the current symptoms and how to prevent future episodes of pain from returning. Other functional objectives are made based on the patient's precise complaints, those complaints can be anywhere from inability to sleep through the night without pain, stand/walk for daily activities or exercise, sit for an extended period of time, or turn the head adequately for driving. Certain goals can increase the strength or flexibility of specific sources of pain is then made to facilitate the functional goals of Physical Therapy.

As mentioned before, certain exercises for the neck and back are chosen by the physical therapist based on the person’s ailments and areas of deficit noted on exam. The exercises are also carefully scrutinized to make sure the proper form and technique to facilitate the desired outcome before they are issued for the home program. To make a long story short, not every exercise is right for every neck or back pain.

Physical Therapy exercises for the back usually centers its attention on enhancing the flexibility and strength of the trunk. For instance, lower abdominal strengthening is usually an objective to help better support to the lower back area. This abdominal "bracing" is the groundwork for alternative exercises to assist in stabilizing the lumbar spine. Upon mastering the braces, the exercise can be suitably progressed by the Physical Therapist to include adding resistance with different arm and/or leg lifts while keeping up the taut abdominals and neutral spine in varying positions.

Using exercises to strengthen the back might include lying on the stomach, with or without having a pillow underneath the pelvic area. Depending on the person's ability, he or she might be directed to place both arms overhead and alternate lifting one arm at a time without shrugging. This might be progressed to lifting on leg (including thigh and all) at a time and then progress to lifting the opposite arm and leg simultaneously. In Physical Therapy stretching exercises might include lying on the stomach and doing a press-up, keeping the hips on the ground. Otherwise depending on the specific pain pattern, the person might be instructed to lie on the back and pull the knees up toward the chest area.

When exercising the neck it is common to often focus not only on basic range of motion, but also on specific neck stretches and strengthening exercises, particularly of the supporting postural muscles. A perfect example of a neck exercise in Physical Therapy is referred to as cervical retraction. Sitting upright, maintaining the level of your chin, gently pulling the chin straight in as if you are hiding against a wall or sideways behind a tree is a good postural correcting exercise to perform during the day, for example while doing computer work. It counters the tendency most people have in sitting to slip into a forward head posture.