Lower Back Pain Treatment – What Are Your Options?

Lower back pain treatment is dependent upon the cause the duration of the condition. Treatment of lower back pain by cause would require the use of diagnostic procedures – such as imaging modalities like CT and MRI scan, bone density test for osteoporosis, or electromyelogram (EMG) – to determine where the pain originates from so that the appropriate treatment regimen will be applied.

Specific lower back pain causes treatment include spinal decompression for herniated discs and the various lower back surgeries, such as discectomy for herniated discs and compressed nerves, laminectomy for spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis, and spinal fusion for spinal fractures and degenerative disc disease.

Lower back pain treatment by duration involves classifying the pain symptoms as acute (30 days) or chronic (3 months or more).

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Acute Lower Back Pain Treatment

Patients who suffer from acute lower back pain will probably be surprised if their doctor does not recommend diagnostic procedures done, unless there is a history of and/or visible signs of injury. This is because in 90 percent of cases, acute lower back pain resolves on its own with no or minimal intervention.

For the first 24 hours of pain onset, ice compresses are applied directly over the painful site to relieve swelling and inflammation. In the next 48 hours, heat therapy is instituted to promote increased blood circulation and healing. Compresses are applied for 20 minutes as many times in the day as necessary to relieve pain.

Effective acute lower back remedies are deep heating topical preparations, such mentholated rubs like Ben-Gay. A number of patients have found deep soothing relief with capsaicin creams made from cayenne peppers.

Doctors often prescribe NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen. Since NSAIDs may cause gastric irritation, patients should only take these medications as ordered by the doctor, on a full stomach, and not take them when it is not necessary (such as in anticipation of pain.

Those who are leery of drugs and their side effects go for Transcutaneous Electric Manipulation (TENS), which sends electrical pulses through the skin to counteract pain signals.

Chronic Lower Back Pain Treatment

Patients with chronic or persistent, severe pain may require a prescription of opioids in combination with muscle relaxants. Tricyclic antidepressants may be necessary in patients whose pain is aggravated by existing depression or other anxiety disorders. Cases of severe pain may also require direct injection of corticosteroids into the affected site or as epidural blocks.

Before contemplating surgery, one could try complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments first. Acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation and spinal balancing techniques have been found to be effective in relieving chronic pain. Other patients experience relief with the use of inversion tables or by going for back decompression therapy.

Surgery is only indicated when all other treatment options have been exhausted, and especially when the patient exhibits signs of progressive neurological deterioration. Even then, surgery carries with it risks of complications, such as bleeding and infection. There is also a small percentage of patients wherein surgical intervention will not work at all (“Failed Back Syndrome“).

Importance of Lower Back Pain Exercises

Whether the back pain is acute or chronic, doctors have emphasized the need for performing exercises. Because lower back pain may be aggravated by an unstable spine due to weak muscles and back supportive tissues and/or muscle spasms, exercises are necessary to build up back strength. This is accomplished through back strengthening and stretching exercises to improve flexibility of the spine. Those who desire a good workout but not stress their backs should avoid high impact sports such as jogging and running and instead focus on low impact activities like swimming, walking and biking. Good fitness regimens include yoga and Pilates.

While the search for the right lower back pain treatment may seem like a long, difficult and tedious process, with patience, one could find the remedy that could give pain relief.