If you or anyone you know deals with back pain, you know how miserable it makes them feel. Alas, back pain is quite more common than we think it is. Eight in 10 people deal with some type of back pain during their lives. The pain may develop suddenly as a result of a muscle strain and other times, a condition such as arthritis, scoliosis, or osteoporosis can cause back pain. Despite the advancement in science, too many patients still receive unnecessary treatment. Instead of advising them and urging them to continue to work and stay active, which has been shown to be effective in this field, patients are often told to take time off and prescribed painkillers. Depending on the cause, doctors may recommend surgery to treat chronic back pain. However, surgery is not always necessary. Fortunately, there are many alternatives treatments for back pain
If none of the treatments given below provide you relief from chronic back pain then the credible surgical center you are consulting will refer you to doctors for back pain orthopedic surgeon. But before doing so, the right and trustworthy pain management center will adopt the following and more techniques to treat your back pain.
- Epidural Steroid Injections: The spinal cord is surrounded by the dural sac and this injection involves a steroid administered directly into this outer part. The primary aim of the injection is to temporarily relieve pain by reducing inflammation around a compressed nerve root.
- Back braces: Some patients have found them to be useful due to their ability to provide comfort and possibly reduce chronic back pain. There is some evidence that the use of a corset-style brace worn daily in combination with physical therapy exercise programs done by orthopedic doctors can speed healing and reduce pain.
- Spinal Manipulation: In this process, a chiropractor will use their hands to adjust, massage, or stimulate the spine with the aim of improving mobility and thereby, reducing stiffness, discomfort, or pain. Even studies have shown that spinal manipulation may help with low back pain.
- Massage therapy: It is used to relieve the muscle spasms that usually contribute to low back pain. This therapy increases blood flow to your lower back which helps in speeding up the process of bringing nutrients and oxygen to damaged muscles.
Note: These treatments are often used in combination with other methods. For example, your orthopedic doctor may inject you with an epidural steroid injection to allow progress in physical therapy. Along with the treatments, doctors also expect you to follow basic lifestyle modifications.
- Lifestyle Modifications: When you are suffering from chronic pain, you need to accept how much you can move and adapt accordingly. Take a break in between when mowing the lawn or cleaning your room. Be mindful about those activities that worsen your pain and avoid them if possible.
- Correcting posture: You must understand that incorrect posture could be the cause of back pain for some people, so taking steps to correct it may bring relief. You can wear devices that gently pull the shoulders back.
- Have an anti-inflammatory diet: Do you know the food we eat can either prevent or reverse a host of health conditions including joint pain and back pain? Studies have suggested that an anti-inflammatory diet can be just as effective at treating back pain as Aspirin. Food that fights inflammation include: carrots, sweet potatoes, fatty fish, green leafy vegetables
Whether it’s persistent low back pain, an aching neck, or nerve pain shooting down your legs, chronic back pain can sideline you from work and your favorite activities. And you certainly don’t want to live like this for the rest of your life. However, now it is possible to treat back pain without surgery such as having acupuncture, spinal manipulation, and making a few lifestyle changes. A person may wish to try the aforementioned options before deciding on surgery.