Treatments Available for Back Pain
When it comes to treating back pain, there are a number of different options available today. In some cases, you may just need to take some over-the-counter pain medication in order to get some relief from your back pain. In other cases, you may also need to incorporate some lifestyle adjustments in order to prevent further stress on your back. If the common over-the-counter pain relievers or other home remedies are not working, than your doctor may recommend some stronger medications.
(There are also back pain clinical trials available for people who have not found sufficient relief from the common treatments available for back pain.)
Medications
Over-The-Counter Meds: The medications that are most often recommended include acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen and naproxen). Both of these are quite efficient at helping to relieve back pain in patients. However, you should only take these medications as directed by your doctor, because they can cause some adverse effects if overused.
Muscle Relaxants: Muscle relaxants may be prescribed when these over-the-counter meds aren't enough, but remember that these drugs can make you feel dizzy and very sleepy.
Narcotics: Doctors may prescribe narcotics (hydrocodone or codeine) to be used for a short period of time by patients suffering from pretty severe back pain.
Antidepressants: A low dosage of certain antidepressants have been used in the past to relieve chronic back pain. Most often, doctors have prescribed tricyclic antidepressants in these circumstances.
Back Pain Education
At this time, there is no single program that has been universally adopted in order to teach people how they can effectively manage their symptoms. So, most people will need to take full advantage of a number of different resources in order to learn more about their condition. The most important aspect of this education is the emphasis on the benefits that can be obtained through regular exercise, reducing stress levels, learning how to avoid future back injuries. Remember that even if your back pain recurs, the treatment measures that you took the first time around will be beneficial the second-time too.
Exercise and Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is an incredibly important aspect of treatment. Physical therapists can make use of a variety of treatments, including ultrasound, heat, electrical stimulation, and muscle-relaxing techniques, on the back muscles in order to reduce the level of pain. As your back pain is reduced, your therapist can also teach you a variety of exercises which will allow you to improve your flexibility and strength in both your back and abdominal muscles.
Injections
If these other measures are not able to relieve your back pain, your doctor may choose to employ a cortisone (an anti-inflammatory medication) which is injected into the area around the spinal cord (epidural space). A cortisone injection will reduce inflammation around the root of the nerves, but the effects usually last only a few months.
In other circumstances, a numbing medication and cortisone may be injected into the part of the back considered to be the exact cause of the pain, sometimes this is the facet joints of the vertebrae. These particular joints connect the each of the vertebrae together and stabilize the spine while allowing for flexibility.
Surgery
In rare cases, people with back pain may require surgery to alleviate their pain. If you have unrelenting pain that is linked with progressive muscle weakness and radiating leg pain as the result of compacted nerves, then you may require surgical treatment. If that's not the case, then surgery is often used to repair structural complications which cannot be fixed with intensive conservative therapies.
There are a number of therapies available to help relieve the symptoms of back pain. So, please be sure to discuss the positives and negatives with your health care provider before starting on a new course of treatment for back pain.
(There are also back pain clinical trials available for people who have not found sufficient relief from the common treatments available for back pain.)
Medications
Over-The-Counter Meds: The medications that are most often recommended include acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen and naproxen). Both of these are quite efficient at helping to relieve back pain in patients. However, you should only take these medications as directed by your doctor, because they can cause some adverse effects if overused.
Muscle Relaxants: Muscle relaxants may be prescribed when these over-the-counter meds aren't enough, but remember that these drugs can make you feel dizzy and very sleepy.
Narcotics: Doctors may prescribe narcotics (hydrocodone or codeine) to be used for a short period of time by patients suffering from pretty severe back pain.
Antidepressants: A low dosage of certain antidepressants have been used in the past to relieve chronic back pain. Most often, doctors have prescribed tricyclic antidepressants in these circumstances.
Back Pain Education
At this time, there is no single program that has been universally adopted in order to teach people how they can effectively manage their symptoms. So, most people will need to take full advantage of a number of different resources in order to learn more about their condition. The most important aspect of this education is the emphasis on the benefits that can be obtained through regular exercise, reducing stress levels, learning how to avoid future back injuries. Remember that even if your back pain recurs, the treatment measures that you took the first time around will be beneficial the second-time too.
Exercise and Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is an incredibly important aspect of treatment. Physical therapists can make use of a variety of treatments, including ultrasound, heat, electrical stimulation, and muscle-relaxing techniques, on the back muscles in order to reduce the level of pain. As your back pain is reduced, your therapist can also teach you a variety of exercises which will allow you to improve your flexibility and strength in both your back and abdominal muscles.
Injections
If these other measures are not able to relieve your back pain, your doctor may choose to employ a cortisone (an anti-inflammatory medication) which is injected into the area around the spinal cord (epidural space). A cortisone injection will reduce inflammation around the root of the nerves, but the effects usually last only a few months.
In other circumstances, a numbing medication and cortisone may be injected into the part of the back considered to be the exact cause of the pain, sometimes this is the facet joints of the vertebrae. These particular joints connect the each of the vertebrae together and stabilize the spine while allowing for flexibility.
Surgery
In rare cases, people with back pain may require surgery to alleviate their pain. If you have unrelenting pain that is linked with progressive muscle weakness and radiating leg pain as the result of compacted nerves, then you may require surgical treatment. If that's not the case, then surgery is often used to repair structural complications which cannot be fixed with intensive conservative therapies.
There are a number of therapies available to help relieve the symptoms of back pain. So, please be sure to discuss the positives and negatives with your health care provider before starting on a new course of treatment for back pain.
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