If your back has been bothering you for months, even years, you are not alone.
The real question is how do you get rid of the pain for good? Most patients chose a conventional approach or an alternative technique.
The basic conventional treatment for relieving back pain is rest. However you should be up and moving within 72 hours. Physical therapy treatments like massage, ultrasound or tailored exercise programs are also very effective. Over the counter painkillers such as Tylenol, Aspirin, or Ibuprofen can be helpful or your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or pain medication like Vicodin.
“Chronic pain causes a host of other problems including anxiety, depression and insomnia and these are even more debilitating than the pain itself,” said pain management specialist Dr. Michael Gibson. He recommends patients, depending on their diagnosis, undergo a nerve block to relieve the pain. These nerve blocks can last from a few weeks to several months.
Other back pain sufferers may select alternative techniques like spinal manipulation to treat their pain. Twenty-two million Americans visit chiropractors each year. It is the most popular alternative treatment among people seeking relief from back pain. “Very seldom do we adjust a patient on the first day and they not experience some immediate relief,” said Chiropractor Dr. Jeff French.
By aligning a patient’s spine, the body is able to heal itself without surgery or medication. Treatment may involve one or more manual adjustments in which a chiropractor manipulates the joints to improve range or quality of motion.
For most patients surgery is the last resort and is generally reserved for chronic back pain for which all other treatments failed. You may need surgery if you have:
• Herniated disc: When one or more of the discs that cushion the bones of the spine are damaged the jelly-like center of the disc leaks, causing pain.
• Spinal stenosis: This condition causes the spinal canal to become narrow.
• Spondylolisthesis: This occurs when one or more bones of the spine slip out of place.
• Vertebral fractures: A fracture caused by a blow to the spine or by crumbling of the bone due to osteoporosis.
• Degenerative disc disease: As people age some have discs that break down and cause severe pain.
“There are many new operations out there but I fear people will watch physicians talk about what’s investigational and think it’s routine,” said Neurosurgeon Thomas Staner MD. Patients, he said, should always talk to their surgeon to determine which procedure is the best for them. The ultimate goal is to find what works in order to life a life free of pain.
To learn more about back surgery go to www.brainspine.com or contact Thomas A. Staner M.D. with Alabama Neurosurgeons at 205-991-4400.
To learn more about chiropractic treatment of back pain go to www.alignyourspinechiro.com or contact Dr. Jeff French at (205) 995-5078.
Watch Gina's report on how to prevent back pain in the first place.
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