Back pain is considered as a common type of condition among people. There are several causes for back pain. It can be chronic or acute. Acute pain usually develops after a fall, or lifting weights. It will be sudden and are also affected after an unusual twist of spine. Acute pain generally lasts for a maximum period of 6 weeks. Chronic back pain usually develops either quickly or taking time. It lasts more than 3 months and is less common.
Acute pain will get relieved without any treatment. Doctors usually prescribe pain killers and to avoid stressful exercise that affect back muscles.
Chronic back pain can be controlled by mainly two ways: non-surgical methods and surgical methods. It is less advised to go for surgical treatment methods compared to non-surgical. A doctor will try out all possible non-surgical methods to relieve pain in most of the cases. But in some cases like those developed due to tumour, vertebral column or disc problems and those like cauda equine syndrome, surgery will be recommended.
Non-surgical methods
There are different non-surgical treatment methods for chronic back pain.
- Exercise: Properly guided exercise is considered as a treatment method for chronic back pain. These are the four types of exercise generally recommended
- Flexion: Flexion exercises are done to widen the inter-vertebral space so that spinal nerves will not be pressurized. It also helps to stretch back muscles and strengthen buttocks and abdominal muscles.
- Stretching: This alleviates pain by stretching soft muscles and providing easiness to back muscle movement.
- Extension: Extension exercises reduce the intensity of radiating pain.
- Aerobics: Aerobics increases the flexibility of total muscles in body providing strength to back muscles to support weight. It also increases the efficiency of heart.
- Medications: Pain killers like acetaminophen and aspirin, narcotics and certain other medicines can be given to control pain. NSAIDs that relieve pain as well as inflammation, anti depressants and muscle relaxants are also given in some cases.
- Traction: In some cases of chronic back pain, traction, or pulling the vertebrae to increase inter-vertebral space using weight and pulley are used.
- Braces and Corsets: these are elastic bands to provide support for vertebrae. Braces will help to keep vertebrae in correct position.
- Injections: Certain types of pain relieving injections are given if above mentioned treatments are not efficient. These include nerve root blockers, facet joint injection and trigger point injection.
- Prolotherapy is another method that elicits an immune response by injecting sugar or any irritant solution.
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