How To Alleviate Chronic Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most debilitating discomforts known to man. But fortunately doctors and pain specialists have conducted a lot of research in recent years, so you don't have to live with chronic back pain like sufferers from the past. You can start by following some basic steps and treatments that can alleviate your back pain. If your back doesn't improve, you may need to get professional help. Untreated back pain can impede the healing process by affecting the immune system, according to Spine-health.com.

Physical Activity
Rest your back for several days and take the pressure off it. You should not avoid movement though as this may cause more harm in the long run. Exercise has recently been proven as the most effective activity to reduce and cure lower back pain. You can purchase a belt for support when you must lift objects or exert pressure on your back.

Take Pain Medications
Over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin can alleviate pain and reduce inflammation that causes pain. Check the bottle for the recommended dosage and use the medication throughout the day. If these medications don't help, see your doctor. He may prescribe a muscle relaxant or stronger pain pill until your pain improves.

Try Warm Baths
Warm water can serve as a soothing anodyne for back pain, especially in the lower back, where most back pain occurs. Lie in a warm tub of water for 20 to 25 minutes and continue to add hot water. You can also insert a wet cloth inside a heating pad for similar results.

Perform Stretching Exercises
Once your pain subsides, do some stretching exercises. For lower back pain, lie on the floor and pull one or both knees to your chest up to ten times. Press your back to the floor. Tense your buttocks. For middle or upper back pain, move your arms back and forth as you hold them up as if making a football goal post. Exercise strengthens muscles in the back which takes pressure off the injured area. 

If your back doesn't improve, you may need to see a pain specialist. Pain specialists can help pinpoint the source of your pain and prescribe the appropriate treatments for healing.

What to Know When Visiting a Pain Management Doctor

Living with chronic pain is a huge challenge. Millions of people of all ages deal with chronic pain every year. Around 25 percent of Americans have reported pain that has lasted longer than 24 hours. Some cases start after an injury or illness, but others start seemingly out of the blue. Common types of chronic pain include arthritis, migraines, shingles, and back and neck pain. Although pain management is a common problem, it can be difficult to know if or when you should see a doctor, as well as what to expect when you do schedule an appointment.

In general, you should contact a doctor if your pain is repeatedly interfering with your life or if it seems impossible to control. If the pain has lasted over three months or is causing sleeplessness, making an appointment with a pain management doctor will be worth your time. 

Meeting with your primary care physician is the first step toward treating your chronic pain. Depending on the severity of the pain, your physician may refer you to a pain management doctor. Pain management doctors specialize in treating chronic pain. Pain doctors come from other specialties, including psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, and anesthesiologists. Depending on their background, most doctors will specialize in a particular type of pain. 

Many doctors will firstly try a watchful waiting period of time. In this time, both you and the doctor will observe your symptoms without treatment. During the watchful waiting, the doctor may recommend taking pain relievers, getting more exercise, sleeping more, or other small changes. 

If these methods are unsuccessful, the doctor may choose to try other pain management techniques. These techniques vary greatly depending on the type and severity of the pain. Some methods include electrotherapy, muscle relaxants, injections, and superficial heating and cooling of the skin. The doctor may also recommend working with other specialists, such as physical therapists or counselors, to find the pain management method that best helps you.

4 Back Pain Treatments

If you live in constant pain, you are probably searching for a pain treatment. Some pain management centers realize that patients need a treatment plan that has been customized to fit their diagnosis. This customization may mean that some patients are undergoing a number of different treatments to help reduce the overall pain in their life. Common pain treatment options include:

1.       Injections

An injection is typically a liquid that is put into your body through a needle in order to reduce localized pain caused from injuries, arthritis, chronic disease and other medical issues. When it comes to injections for pain treatment, there are a number of different options. Depending on your pain, you may need a simple injection or an epidural steroid injection.

2.       Pain Pumps

A pain pump is a piece of equipment that delivers pain medication. Typically it is inserted in your body and programmed to release the medication over a certain period of time. Most often this type of pain treatment is used for spinal or nerve pain.

3.       Radiofrequency Ablation

Ablation is the surgical removal of tissue.Radiofrequency ablation uses an alternating medium frequency current to generate heat that can remove dysfunctional tissue.  It often considered a long-term pain management option because it can target specific nerves.

4.       Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) uses electrical current to interrupt nerve impulses that cause chronic pain. Typically a pulse generator is implanted where it can send pulses directly to the spinal cord. Again, this type of treatment is a preferred option for the treatment of chronic pain.

If you suffer from constant pain, you may not see the desired benefits from just one of these pain treatment options. Using a combination of these procedures, you may be able to find respite from the pain. Talk with an expert today to find out what sort of procedures may be right for you.

Common Types of Back Pain Treatments

Back pain affects all ages but can be particularly debilitating for older Americans, who may have other underlying complications that create the pain. Still, back pain treatments, regardless of age, are contingent on the extent of injuries, whether they're muscular, skeletal or congenital in nature. Most medical specialists recognize two categories of treatment--conservative and aggressive. You can employ many conservative treatments at home before you see a doctor, while aggressive treatments are typically reserved for more serious back injuries. 

Bed Rest
It is advisable to stop all physical activity when you feel back pain and get plenty of rest. The key is to minimize the inflammation, which will only get worse with sports or working out.

Medications
Ibuprofen, aspirin and other pain medications can help mollify your back pain and reduce inflammation. Just make sure you take the recommended dose that's listed on the bottle. If you visit your family doctor, he may prescribe stronger pain pills or muscle relaxants, depending on the severity of your injury or condition.

Heating Pads/Warm Baths
Heat can soothe your back pain and reduce pain and inflammation. WebMD recommends that you use heating pads for 15 to 20 minutes. Another option is a warm bath for a similar duration. 

Physical Therapy
If your pain persists more than a few days, your doctor may recommend physical therapy. Physical therapists often use various methods to treat back pain, including massage, ultrasound and whirlpools. They may also manipulate your back and assist you with improving your range of motion. Many instruct patients to perform stretching and resistance exercises to build strength around affected areas.

Steroid Treatments/Local Anesthetics
At this stage, your doctor has likely referred you to a pain specialist who can prescribe cortisone shots or local anesthetics like lidocaine, which block nerve impulses to relieve pain. 

Surgical Treatments
A couple examples of surgical procedures include herniated disk removal and spinal fusion. Disks are like cushions between your vertebrae. Specialists remove the herniated section of the disk when they cause pain, numbness or weakness. Spinal fusion is a welding of vertebrae that connects two bones to relieve pain and discomfort.

What To Expect From a Pain Management Center

A pain management center is often the key to living life pain free. For someone who is struggling with chronic pain, it can be the only way to live a normal life. A center is able to offer a range of treatment options. If you have decided to go to a pain management center, it may help you to understand what you should expect.

Pain Management Is Misunderstood

The idea behind pain management is not just giving you some medication and hoping it will stop the pain. In most cases, pain is complex. It may have a point of origin, but it often is also influenced by other areas of your body. Therefore, the goal is to identify the problem and take a multi-faceted approach to treatment.

What Is a Multi-Faceted Approach?

A multi-faceted approach is using a variety of different methods to treat pain. Basically, the cause of the pain will be identified, along with any other factors that could be contributing to the pain. Then, treatment is designed for the different factors that are leading to the pain. This may mean that treatment involves taking medications, doing specific yoga exercises and following a specific diet. The idea behind this approach is to look at you as a whole person and not just one point of pain. The treatment will try to help you to heal overall so that the pain will go away, not just be hidden by the treatment you are given.

Teamwork Is Key

As part of the multi-faceted approach, you will likely see a variety of people at the pain management center. You may see a main doctor, who will run tests and go over your overall treatment plan, but you may also see specialists, like fitness experts, who are going to be a part of your pain management team.

Everyone has the same goal when you go to a pain management center: to help you manage your pain. Through identifying everything that is contributing to your pain and taking a multi-faceted approach to treatment, the team of people you work with will be able to help you be as pain free as possible.