Common Treatments For Back Pain

Author: Bradley Cameron

Temporary back pain and come and go occasionally, but if your back pain has lasted for more than three months, it is chronic and serious. Chronic back pain can also be occasional, but you will feel it more often, especially after stressful work, sitting or standing for long, or during night time. While surgery seems to be the only option is worse cases, even chronic back pain can be treated in the initial stages. Back pain rehabilitation specialists recommend the following lower back pain treatment.

Physical Therapy

Keeping your body in action is very important to prevent the spine and back muscles from getting stiff. However, there is a thin line between daily work and proper physical therapy for the pain relief that is often misconceptualized. You should consult a professional and experienced physical therapist who will schedule your therapy and suggest the exercises depending on your condition and symptoms. You will have to maintain the routine not only during the therapy session but also at home. Your physical therapist may include aerobics, stretching, posture maintenance, flexibility sessions, and pain tolerance exercises in your therapy.

Proper Rest

Although bed rest is no more recommended in chronic back pains and lower back pain issues, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need any rest. You must take proper 7 to 8-hour sleep that gets quite impossible when you are troubled by the pain. If you are struggling to sleep due to the pain, try sleeping on your back with a pillow under your knee. Not just night sleep, you can also rest in the day time after completing your household chores or during the lunch break in your office if there is a resting spot.

Better Diet

Along with dealing with doctors, therapists, and general physicians, you should also keep a check on your diet by consulting a nutritionist. A lot of things that we eat are high in trans-fat, sugar, carbohydrates, and other inflammatory properties. By including such type of food, we feel more pained and often a temporary pain converts into chronic back pain. Give your medical history to your nutritionist and get a proper diet chart for back pain relief.

Icing And Heating

Whether you should opt for icing or heating depends on your condition and symptoms. Some people feel comforted after sitting in a hot water tub while others feel relaxed with reduced pain with icing pack. However, both heat and ice shouldn’t be applied directly to the area of pain. For example, instead of applying ice cubes on your back directly, use icing bags or heating pads to prevent sudden pricking feeling.

Pain Relievers

Over the counter pain, relievers can work for short term pain relief for regular back pain that you feel after working too much. However, there are properly prescribed medication for chronic back pain. Make sure you take all your medicines as prescribed, otherwise they won’t affect the pain as they are supposed to do. If the pain isn’t reduced by medicines, you can also opt for injections for pain relief.