Tag Archives: Physical Therapy

Non-surgical Treatment for Chronic Back Pain Is Often the Best

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Chronic back pain affects thousands of people every year. Whether it’s from the result of an accident, stress on the back, pulled muscle or some unknown reason, the pain is still the same. There are many different types of treatment offered for this painful problem. Most people prefer non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain. It isn’t only the patients that prefer non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain. Most doctors don’t like to do surgery unless they absolutely have no other choice.

There are some painful back conditions where surgery may be preferred such as degenerative spondylolisthesis and severe sciatica. Even in these two cases, non-surgical treatment has helped, but the surgery provided a much faster pain relief. Surgery is also performed in certain cases where it’s necessary and the only way for the patient to be able to function normally. In the majority of cases with back problems, non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain is the recommended and preferred course by patients and their doctors.

Patients seeing their doctor for the first time for chronic back pain will be treated conservatively. The first thing they will want to do is rule out cancer, infection or an emergency problem. The first non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain most doctors recommend is to apply heat and get rest. They may give you a prescription for muscle relaxants and request you take over the counter pain relievers. In some cases, the pain relievers will lessen the pain, while the rest and heat may help the pain go away. For the pain to be labeled as chronic back pain, the patient has had it for a few months, in which case, the pain requires more than heat, rest and pain relievers. The doctors want to try everything first, however.

If you have to return to see the doctor, the next non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain is physical therapy. More doctors are recommending physical therapy for all kinds of injuries of the body. A physical therapist is trained to work with the body and know how it should and should respond to certain conditions.

The Physical therapist will apply heat and/or ice to the injured area along with massaging the back. Although, this may hurt when it’s being performed, it often makes your back feel much better later. You will be scheduled to see the therapist anywhere from once a week to a few times a week. The therapist will also give you exercises for your back for you to do at home. In many cases, physical therapy will take care of the chronic back pain after a few weeks.

If the physical therapy doesn’t work completely, another non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain is injections or pain relievers or steroids. These are often very helpful along with the therapy. These are also referred to as non-invasive treatment as opposed to surgery, which is invasive.

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Treat Chronic Low Back Pain with Caution

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Chronic low back pain has plagued thousands of individuals for many years causing much pain and discomfort as well as time off from work or their daily routines. There has usually been the same traditional type of treatment methods and strategies to cure this painful problem. Recently, doctors have been notified of chronic low back pain treatment guidelines regarding the methods of low pain treatment.

The reasons for the chronic low back pain treatment guidelines is that there is a variety of different treatment methods and different costs, yet most of the results are the same. The American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society have made and entire group of chronic low back pain treatment guidelines for doctors to use with each patient. They want each patient to be treated differently based on certain factors.

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One of the factors in the chronic low back pain treatment guidelines states that the causes of the back pain should be put in specific categories such as mechanical back pain like vertebra, disc, facet joints, nerve root, spinous process and traverse process; congenital conditions like scoliosis; infections, tumors and diseases; and injuries like sports injuries or whiplash.
Prior to the setting of chronic low back pain treatment guidelines, almost all of these back problems were treated in the same variety of ways with usually the same results.

Another factor in the chronic low back pain treatment guidelines is that there should be certain criteria on if X-rays and other imaging tests will be taken on the patient. This criteria will depend on what kind of back pain the patient is suffering and why. Yet another factor is what type of back pain the patient should get certain medications prescribed and what kind they should be. Whether they are prescription, alternative, holistic, physical therapy or massage will be determined by what type works best for a specific back pain.

By using the chronic low back pain treatment guidelines, it is the hope that patients will be successfully treated for their back pain much sooner without having to go through so many different treatments. This will also save on medical bills and help keep health costs down. The rising cost of health care has been a problem steadily the past few years and hopefully these new guidelines will help the situation.

When these chronic low back pain treatment guidelines are used all the time, the patients will know what treatment they are getting and why they are getting it as well as understanding their case better.

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Back Pain Relief

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Going on a hunt for back pain relief becomes a critical mission for someone looking for a break from the pain.  A lot of back pain issues can actually be handled at home with easy treatments you can learn to do yourself.  For example, simple muscle sprains normally don’t need a doctor and can be handled with some bed rest.  Even if you have bouts of pain that come and go, or chronic pain, you want to know all the techniques that might at least give you some temporary relief.

Back pain should never be minimized.  Any pain that affects your sleep and your daily activities needs to be addressed.  There are some symptoms or causes that indicate you should see a doctor right away for back pain relief.  These include injuries, weak legs, and unbearable pain that never subsides.  But most pain lasts less than a month and doesn’t keep you from living a normal life.  For that kind of pain, you just need forms of relief while the muscle or sprain heals.

Back pain relief can often be found by following some very simple guidelines.  For example, when you are having a “back attack”, getting any sleep or rest may be difficult.  Lack of sleep increases the stress of the situation and adds to the pain.   The best way to sleep when you’re having back pain is on your side with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.  This is the position that puts the least amount of stress on the spinal discs.  You can also sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees.

Anti-inflammatory medicines can often provide back pain relief also.  There are several over-the-counter medications that can reduce muscle swelling and thus reduce pain. Many people use ice packs or heating pads in conjunction with the anti-inflammatory drugs to find relief.

Exercise can also provide back pain relief.  Unfortunately, when people have back pain they tend to think they shouldn’t do any exercise.  Yet strengthening the back muscles is often the cure when the pain is due to injuries resulting from weak muscles.  It can also reduce pain in backs with vertebrae problems by creating a strong muscular support system.

Of course, if you can’t find back pain relief using these simple ideas, and the pain continues or gets worse, a doctor should be consulted. There are many options the doctor can offer to provide a break from the pain.  They include physical therapy exercise programs and massage, electrical stimulation, prescription medications, nerve blocks and surgery.  There is a wide range of choices for back pain relief therapy, and the doctor will review the ones that will work best in your situation.

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Mystery of the Herniated Disc without Pain

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Lumbar vertebra.
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A bulging disc is when the spongy material between vertebrae extends out.  It’s usually caused by too much pressure that’s been put on the spine causing excessive compression.  There are lots of nerves that run out from the disc, so when the disc bulges near one of the nerves, pain develops.  The pain isn’t necessarily in the back though.  The pain can run down the nerves and end up making your legs or even your arms hurt.

The fact is though, you can have a herniated disc and not have any pain. You can actually have a bulging disc that doesn’t affect a nerve and so there’s no pain.  The indications you have a back problem include other things like tingling and numbness in the legs.  So don’t think you have to have pain when you have a bulging or herniated disc.

The best treatment options

When it comes to treating a herniated disc, there are traditional
treatments such as ice/heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation,
cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications and even surgery.
While these may deliver some relief, it will usually be temporary
if at all.

But the major problem with these traditional treatments is that they
can’t fix or heal a herniated disc as they do not address the actual
cause of the problem. For example, even if you were to have a surgery
and get some pain relief, the fact is the dysfunctions that caused
the disc to herniated in the first place are still there and if not
addressed, they will continue to place uneven pressure and strain on
the discs and sooner or later you will likely have another problem
with that disc, or others.

Without identifying and addressing the underlying cause of the problem,
which is the physical dysfunctions caused by imbalances in muscles,
you will likely continue to suffer with this condition and the
continuous flare ups for years.
Unfortunately, most doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists
don’t spend time or focus on identifying the physical dysfunctions that
are responsible for the condition so most people end up jumping from
one useless traditional treatment to the next and suffer for months or
years unnecessarily.

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, or are wondering if
your back pain may be caused by a herniated disc, either way you must
identify and address the physical dysfunctions that are causing your
pain as part of your recovery.

To see other informative  articles  please visit https://gethealthy.infusionsoft.com/go/7DayCure
There, you will find many more articles and resources to help educate
and get rid of your back pain forever.

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Back Pain Muscle Spasms

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Collage of several of w:Gray's muscle pictures...
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You have long muscles that run along the spine called the erector spinae muscles.  These are often the guilty muscles when you have back pain and muscle spasms.  A spasm is an involuntary contraction of the muscle for a sustained period of time.  Usually a spasm occurs when the muscle has been suddenly stressed somehow which can include injury, sprains, tears or bruising.  The spasm can actually start in the nerves that lead into the muscle though the feeling is the same no matter where the spasm starts.

Most of the time muscle spasms are painful, but not serious.  It should be mentioned though that in some cases, the spasm may be a symptom of a more serious problem.  The back is composed of bones, muscles and ligaments, and injury or disease to any component can result in back pain muscle spasms.

Back pain and muscle spasms can occur anywhere along the spine from the neck to the lower back.  A spasm can occur once or it can happen repeatedly.  Often the spasm makes the muscle feel sore and tight even after the spasm subsides.  So when you deal with muscle spasms you have two goals.  The first goal is to attempt to prevent the reoccurrence of the spasm.  The second goal is to relive the pain and tension after the spasm.

There are many ways you can approach management of back pain and muscle spasms at home.  First, you should keep moving.  You don’t want to go to bed and lie still, because that will cause the muscle to hurt more.  Light exercises will relieve the muscle stress while strengthening and toning.  Also, you can use an ice pack applied to the area and decrease the muscle spasm pain.  In addition, you should avoid any heavy lifting or moves similar to the moves you were doing before the spasm.

If your back pain and muscle spasms don’t get better with home remedies, you may have to visit the doctor.  Frequently, muscle relaxants are prescribed to relieve muscle tightness.  Muscle relaxants are a short term solution meant to give relief from pain while the muscle heals.   Some people find enough relief by using over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers.  Many medications you can now buy yourself are what were once considered full prescription strength.  All of the drugs can reduce swelling and increase muscle flexibility.

Other forms of therapy for back pain and muscle spasms include massage or physical therapy.  But one of the most important therapies you can do yourself.  That’s to maintain good posture.  Good posture lets your spine work the way it was designed to work.  Maintaining good posture is important during any activity too and not just while standing.   You should stand, sit, walk and lift while maintaining proper spine position.  This will help you avoid muscle injury and sprains that can lead to muscle spasms.

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