Medically CitedIn This Article
Chronic back pain can be experienced once in a lifetime and is caused by nerve damage, obesity, and ageing, it can be managed and controlled by home remedies.
Chronic back pain is a debilitating condition that many people experience at least once in their lifetime. Many people experiencing back pain for the first time usually tend to be desperate for the best treatment to a point they can take any advice given to them without even asking whether it is effective or not.
Is there a treatment for chronic back pain?
There are many myths flying online about severe chronic back pain treatment. While some people will tell you to get bed rest, others will tell you to go out jogging, while some will say the best treatment for chronic back pain is taking potent opioid painkillers.
Ignore the various myths you have heard, we are going to help you understand how to treat and say goodbye to chronic back pain once and for all.
What causes chronic back pain?
There is actually no single cause of chronic back pain. It may be caused by many different factors. Some of the common factors include;
- Nerve damages
- Traumatic injury
- Prolonged poor posture
- Obesity or overweight
- Wearing inappropriate footwear such as heels
- Ageing of the spine
Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia or osteoporosis among others
Persistent back pain may also be a result of other serious ailments like cancer, AIDS, ulcers and gallbladder disease among others.
Any cause of chronic back pain may be caused by any one of these factors or a combination of two or more.
Sometimes, however, the cause of chronic back pain may be a mystery or quite complex. That is why some people experience severe back pain even after the physical problems are treated and healed.
In such cases, health care service providers will have to try different types of treatment options.
Chronic back pain management
Chronic back pain treatment is not such a simple task. Sometimes, getting physical treatment does not completely do away with the pain. It is for this reason that anyone suffering from chronic back pain must visit a professional doctor for a complete work-up. The doctors will be able to determine if there is a treatable cause of the pain such as a disease.
According to various medical experts, the best way to go about chronic back pain treatment is by treating the underlying cause and separately treating the pain itself. [1]
Even mild chronic pain should be checked by your medical specialist.
Many people out there are suffering from mild chronic pain and because it is bearable, they don’t see a reason of visiting a doctor. It is, however, advisable to get back pain evaluated despite being mild. Any pain could be a sign of an underlying disease that needs to be treated.
Early diagnosis and treatment of mild pain may help prevent it from becoming serious and hard-to-treat chronic back pain. Any kind of pain, therefore, needs to be taken seriously as most cases start as mild pain as it slowly sneaks up on you to become serious and chronic pain.
In that case, speaking to an experienced and reliable Colorado Springs chiropractor may be an excellent idea. This professional’s primary objective is chronic pain relief and spine alignment. As such, chiropractic professionals specialize in dealing with back and neck pain. They perform manipulation of certain body parts as the main treatment method. Additionally, a chiropractor has to carry out the treatment in a well-equipped space.
Hence, if you’re looking for one of the best ways to manage chronic back pain, then consider working with chiropractors in your area. They know exactly how to detect and cure physical disorders, including pain in certain musculoskeletal systems of your body.
To find the right professional, look for word-of-mouth recommendations or conduct research online.
How to Treat Chronic Back Pain?
Just like any other type of pain experienced in other parts of the body, the condition can be quite debilitating. There are however many ways to keep the pain under control.
The first step in pain management before getting to the doctor is applying available home remedies. These should actually not be considered as treatment options that will help completely get rid of the chronic back pain but will actually help manage the pain before you book an appointment with your doctor.
Some of the crucial home remedies for chronic back pain relief include:
1. Resting
This should not be considered as having bed rest for weeks. According to Jae Jung, MD, associate professor of orthopedics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, “having a prolonged bed rest is the worst thing you can do when experiencing chronic back pain”. The professor suggests having a backrest for about 48 hours is enough before you get back to normal activities.
2. Ice and cold treatment
This is another remedy you can perform from home to manage your back pain. Apply heat or ice directly to the affected area and you will be able to easily ease the pain.
Heat treatment is important since it helps in dilating blood vessels increasing the supply of blood with oxygen and nutrients to the affected area. This will in turn do away with muscle spasms and eliminate back pain thereafter.
3. Exercise
There are quite a number of exercises that have proven to help get rid of back pain. The best way to go about this is by starting with a gentle exercise program that will get you back to your feet. There are many exercises for both the lower and upper body and doing them in the right way will definitely help you to suppress back pain.
In case you do not know the right exercises, you can talk to your doctor who will take you through chronic back pain therapy to completely alleviate back pain. [2]
Stretches are some of the good types of exercises you need to strengthen the back muscles and reduce the stiffness of muscles that may be the cause of the pain.
Aerobic exercises are also quite effective in getting rid of back pain and boosting the overall fitness of the body. You can perform some of these cardio exercises. [3]
4. Correct bad posture
Bad posture is among the leading causes of back pain. In order to get rid of such pain, it is time you started observing your posture when sitting, standing or doing any activity. If the activities you are involved in are responsible for your bad posture, you simply need to stop and adjust the posture before it gets worse.
5. Over-the-counter painkillers
Over-the-counter medication can help alleviate the pain before seeking medical help from a professional doctor. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen are recommended for use to ease lower back pain. These chronic back pain medications are, however, not advisable to be taken over a long period of time because of their side effects.
Other good options to consider are topical pain relief creams with ingredients like salicylate, camphor and eucalyptus oil among other may help soothe the pain.
6. Therapy
Chronic pain therapy can alleviate lower back pain. Physical therapy is one of the most effective pain management procedures for back pain, as recommended by professional experts. The program involves tailored and right exercises which may not aggravate the pain but rather slowly build tolerance and eventually reduce the pain.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy will also come in handy for you to better understand where the pain is coming from so that medical experts can determine the right treatment option for you.
Other effective pain management options available for you include;
- Meditation
- Relaxation techniques
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy
- Biofeedback and massage among others.
When is Back Surgery Needed or Required?
Typically, back surgery can be considered a last resort for treating chronic back pain. This is especially true if other non-surgical treatments have remained ineffective. In addition, your attending medical practitioner may recommend lower back surgery if they discover that your back pain is related to specific spine pain causes.
For example, if you have the following signs or symptoms of chronic back pain, you may need to have back surgery.
- Weakness in your limbs
- Balance and gait issues
- Progressing bladder or bowel problems
- Increased reflexes
However, to ensure back surgery is the proper treatment for your chronic pain, it’s best to get opinions from, at least, two medical professionals. That way, you’ll know if surgery is necessary to address your health condition.
Final Verdict
Chronic back pain treatment should be your main option and never be ignored even if it is a mild case. You need to apply the right remedies, but more importantly, seek medical treatment for back pain from a professional expert before it becomes a serious problem in your life.
You can take pain supplement such as ProJoint Plus to get rid of joint pain instantly.
We may never have a painless life, but when the pain becomes chronic, you need to get it addressed as soon as possible.
3 Sources
We review published medical research in respected scientific journals to arrive at our conclusions about a product or health topic. This ensures the highest standard of scientific accuracy.
[1] 7 Ways to Treat Chronic Back Pain Without Surgery: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/back-pain/7-ways-to-treat-chronic-back-pain-without-surgery[2] Back Pain: Why Physical Therapy Might be the Relief You Need: https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/neuroscience-blog/2022/december/physical-therapy-for-spine-pain
[3] Aerobic exercise: Top 10 reasons to get physical: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/aerobic-exercise/art-20045541
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