About Top 4 Severe Lower Back Pain Relief Treatments
If you are one of the many people in the world who suffer from lower back pain, then you know that sometimes relief can be hard to find.
Maybe you have been seen by a doctor and have received treatment, but it hasn’t worked. Perhaps you want something that you can do on your own.
No matter what your reasoning is, or how you want to receive treatment, there are many options out there for you.
Taking the time to research treatment options and choose the best one for you is vital to your pain relief.
If you do not have an underlying cause for your back pain, then treatment at home may be the best option for you.
However, if you are unsure if you have an underlying cause or if your doctor has diagnosed you with an underlying cause, your best option is to receive treatment in the doctor’s office.
We will be discussing four different types of treatment options available today. Two will be options that you can do at home, and the other two will require your doctor’s help.
These are treatments that you will be able to combine together and use them to help alleviate any pain you are experiencing.
Always remember to talk with your doctor about the best treatment option for you and keep your doctor informed of any and all symptoms that you might be experiencing.
If your doctor is uncomfortable with you trying any home treatments, ask him for other suggestions for you to try.
The first two we will discuss are nerve shots and physical therapy. These are treatments that must be performed in your doctor’s office by a licensed medical team.
Epidural Block
This is a localized shot in your back. It is similar to the epidural that women receive during childbirth, though you will still retain use of your legs.
An Epidural Block targets the nerves around the affected area of your back and blocks the pain signals being sent to your brain.
By doing this, your brain is unaware that you are having pain in your lower back. This is a temporary solution and usually requires regular trips to your doctor for the injection.
Your doctor will be the one to determine how often you will need to come into the office for your shot.
This option is usually used in conjunction with physical therapy to try and completely relieve you of your pain.
If you are experiencing more inflammation of the muscles in the affected area, your doctor may choose to skip the Epidural Block and go with a steroid cream shot.
This shot is injected into the muscles around the affected area and the steroid cream is used to calm these muscles directly, and help you to reduce your pain. This is again something that your doctor may require you to have regular visits to receive.
Physical Therapy
If you do not have an underlying cause for your lower back pain, your doctor may suggest intense physical therapy. Working with a Physical Therapist, your doctor will create a plan for you based on your pain level.
While someone with a mild to moderate pain level may only require a few sessions with a PT, someone with severe back pain may require regular weekly visits.
Your PT is a trained and licensed professional who will help guide you through exercises that are specifically designed to target the affected area of your back.
Your PT is trying to relax the muscles around the affected area. Doing this will help your pain to ease and it will also give you a better range of motion, which can help you in the long run.
Having a better range of motion will give you the ability to exercise better at home, and help you to continue a pain relief regimen at home.
Your doctor may suggest that you try some treatment options at home to see if you can alleviate your pain.
By doing this, you can control how often you are using these treatments based on if your severe pain is constant or if it comes and goes depending on what you are doing at the moment.
Let’s discuss the two in home treatment options.
Exercise
While you may be thinking that severe back pain cannot be treated with simple exercise, you would be incorrect.
Regular physical exercise can stretch and relax your back muscles, and give you a sense of no pain. To begin with, especially if you do not work out on a regular basis, you want to try low impact workouts.
This includes swimming, walking, cycling, and stretching exercises. Find something that you enjoy doing and stick with it.
If you are unsure of where to begin with an exercise routine, go to your local gym and get in touch with a personal trainer.
They are trained to help you achieve your goals and can get you started on a workout plan that can help to alleviate your pain.
Once you have a routine in place, keep at it, and add in different exercises weekly to keep you wanting to come back to it.
The more you stretch and work out those muscles, the better your back will feel. Instead of sitting at your desk all day, invest in a standing desk to help take some of the stress off of your back.
Take short breaks to the copy machine or to get coffee, or walk across the office instead of emailing a coworker.
Little things like this can help take stress off of your back and will help to reduce the pain you are experiencing.
Severe Lower Back Pain Relief Treatments Review Summary
If you are having a particularly bad day with your back, you can try over the counter pain medications, making sure to correctly read the label and dosage.
This can help you temporarily relieve your back pain if you are having a busier day than usual and do not have the time to stretch your muscles right then.
Talk with your doctor about which over the counter medications are best for you. Acetaminophen and aspirin can work wonders on your lower back and help you to push through the pain until you can begin your exercise routine or make it to your doctor.
Make sure to read and follow the dosage carefully. If you find that you are using the medication for more than ten days in a row, you need to consult with your doctor.
Over the counter medications are only meant for a short-term relief and are not designed to be used on a daily basis.
While suffering from severe lower back pain is difficult to deal with, there are treatment options available to you.
If you are unsure of where to start, consult with your doctor and get his advice. Combining treatments with your doctor can be very beneficial to your recovery if it is used in the correct way.
