Pain Management

Lower Back Pain Treatment

Low back pain surely occurs to a person at least once in his/her lifetime and can turn in to a deadly disease, making the person disabled. In fact, back pain is the number one disability for those under 45 years of age. But, the good news is that low back pain is treatable and sometimes preventable too. A variety of treatment options are available for relieving low back pain. Each treatment has its own way of treating the patient but all the treatment options have the same aim of reducing or stopping the irritable and disturbing pain.

One of the common and easy treatments for low back pain include active treatments. The success of these treatments depends upon the patient himself, as he is required to undertake these treatments on his own. Some of the active treatments for low back pain include:

Exercise: Some active forms of back pain exercises are necessary for alleviating back pain. In fact regular back pain exercise routine helps in avoiding recurrences of low back pain and also reduces the severity and duration of the possible future episodes of low back pain. Back pain exercise program should include a combination of stretching exercises like hamstring exercises, strengthening exercises like dynamic lumbar stabilization exercise and McKenzie exercise, and low impact aerobics like walking, bicycling, or swimming.

Quit Smoking: Smoking can lead to low back pain as it damages the vascular structures of the discs and joints in the back. Quiting smoking would improve blood circulation and healing. Also, nicotine results in inhibiting bone growth by undermining the fusion process after the spine fusion surgery. So, patients of spine surgery should quit smoking for allowing the bone to heal.

Weight loss: Losing your weight will surely help in reducing low back pain by lessening the amount of stress on the low back muscles and ligaments. Patients carrying more weight around their midsection pose greater risk for obesity-related health problems like low back pain. Due to pressure of extra weight on your back, your disc and other spinal structures can get damaged.

Ergonomics: Ergonomics is the study of the workplace as it relates to the worker. Ergonomic furniture, proper lifting techniques, supportive footwear and avoiding static posture for prolonged periods of time would surely help in reducing pressure on the low back.

So, these are some of the active treatments for low back pain which when applied in daily life can shoo away your back pain.

Ball Therapy

There is present an unusual method to treat lower back pain, which uses an exercise ball also called as physio or swiss ball to prevent low back pain as part of a rehabilitation program. It is known as exercise ball therapy. This exercise ball helps in strengthening the core body muscles which stabilize the spine. This exercise ball introduces an element of instability to which the body automatically responds enabling to keep balance on the exercise ball. This exercise makes your back and abdominal muscles strong.

This exercise uses a term called ‘proprioception’ which is described as an awareness of where one’s hand or foot is, in relation to the space. The opportunities to evaluate the orientation in space and develop and train the body’s natural awareness are provided by the instability of the exercise ball. The exercise ball provides spinal movement which helps in reducing pain by stimulating the body to produce increased amounts of natural pain inhibitors.

Exercise balls are available in various sizes so one can opt for an appropriate size, according to the suitability factor. For proper use, exercise ball must be practiced under the supervision of a physical therapist or any other spine specialist.

The various advantages of exercise ball therapy are:
Its an easy and simple way to start your normal life after the back pain episode.
It helps in improving the muscle strength.
It offers greater flexibility and range of motion to the spine.
It offers enhanced balance and coordination of core muscle groups which helps in stabilizing the spine. It tends to maintain a neutral spine position during exercise.
However, some precautions should be kept in mind while performing exercise ball therapy. These are:
It should be performed in a controlled manner and speed usually starting slowly and then building confidence afterwards.

The manufacturer’s instructions for care and use should be strictly followed.
Patients should perform short exercise routines first and then increase the time accordingly. Patients with beginnings of acute low back pain are not advised to perform this therapy.
If your pain increases while using the ball then stop the usage of this therapy.
If these precautions are kept in mind they would help you to reduce or diminish your pain successfully and without any complication.

Asprin For Pain?

Amidst various other OTC medications used to treat back pain, Aspirin is the most common. But, is this medicine really a good enough solution to the problem? Let us find out by understanding how aspirin works and affects your body.

What is Aspirin?
Aspirin is an over the counter anti inflammatory drug that is used to relieve pain and inflammation. This medication is classified as an analgesic and falls under the category of NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs).

It is one of the oldest medications in use. The medicine was developed in 1800 by the Bayer Company. Of late, aspirin is also being used as a therapy to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

How does it treat back pain?
Aspirin helps treat back pain by blocking a chemical inside the body known as prostaglandins. This chemical is produced wherever there is inflammation. It also sends out pain signals which make you experience pain. By blocking these chemicals, aspirin prevents the inflammation and the pain they would have otherwise caused.

Should I use aspirin for back pain?
While aspirin is effective in treating back pain, it is not really advised as an effective treatment to the problem. The reason for the same being the numerous side affects this medication brings along. When you consume this medication, it affects the whole body. Aspirin does not have a target location. So, as a result even the body parts that are not in pain tend to get affected by this medication.

Further on, prostaglandins may cause inflammation but they are also responsible to maintain the lining of the stomach. In addition, they also prevent clotting of the blood. Thus, complete blocking of prostaglandins is not a good thing for the body. Instead, blocking this chemical could result in to side effects in the GI tract such as ulcers or irritation.

Some people may also develop allergies on using Aspirin. Facial swelling, wheezing or hives are some of the commonly caused allergic reactions on using this medication.

How to use?
Considering that there are numerous side effects of using aspirin for back pain, it is always best to speak to your doctor before you use the medicine. If you do not feel the need to consult a doctor, make sure that you take the medication as per the instructions given on the box.

Aspirin is available in different forms such as plain aspirin, enteric-coated, extended release, buffered or chewable. Out of all the forms mentioned above, the enteric coated one is the best option as it minimizes the side effects caused to the GI tract. If you take extended release or enteric-coated tablets, take them whole- do not crush or chew.