Living with back nerve pain is no fun -- just ask anyone who has it. An often chronic condition, back pain is caused by pinched nerves (a result of a slipped or damaged back joint or disc) or pulled back muscles around the sciatic nerve. If not corrected with the proper treatment, the condition can become worse and may even become debilitating for the person suffering from it. At the same time, there are a lot of treatment methods out there, and what works for one patient may not have the same effect on another. To find the right one, patients should be asking these questions when consulting with their doctors. Read on to learn about the top eight treatment options for back pain.
Talk with your doctor first before choosing to regularly apply ice or heat. If the problem is inflammatory and will get better on its own with time, this may be an appropriate singular form of treatment. Nevertheless, in many cases it may still provide some side relief while more long-term, effective treatment methods are pursued.
Pain medication is certainly great in helping patients feel more comfortable and resume daily activities, but it should not be the only treatment. The danger here is that pain medication masks symptoms and can result in the condition getting worse if the patient does not also pursue other forms of care. Doctors may prescribe medication specifically meant for the condition, while in other cases patients may find relief just from regular anti-inflammatory drugs. In some cases, steroid injections may be considered.
Chiropractic care can indeed work for a lot of back nerve pain sufferers, if the condition has been proven to result from a slipped disc or something else the chiropractor can manually manipulate back into place. Only chiropractors experienced in treating back nerve pain should be seen, and regular checkups with the patient's general doctor are a good idea.
Physical therapy can also be highly effective, especially if the cause of back nerve pain has been demonstrated to be pulled muscles or even a slipped disc. This should be done in conjunction with still seeing a regular doctor. And like chiropractic care, only an experienced and knowledgeable physical therapist who has previously treated back nerve pain should be seen.
A lot of medical professionals would say that the jury's still out as to whether or not acupuncture is truly effective or just has a placebo effect. That said, many sufferers of back nerve pain have sworn by it, with some even declaring great results after only one treatment. In this case, care with a regular doctor should still be continued alongside acupuncture, but it may be worth a try for chronic conditions.
Surgery is not the way to go in most cases, especially if the condition is still in earlier stages. However, if the condition has been shown as a result of damaged disc or tissue that does not show improvement through physical therapy or manual surface treatment, then surgical methods to repair it may be considered.
Yoga is often considered a great form of ongoing treatment that helps to gently stretch the back muscles and may even help keep the spine in alignment. Nevertheless, patients should get the approval of their general doctor for engagement in physical activities like yoga, and they should start out with lower intensity levels to make sure no additional damage is caused.
Not just any form of massage is appropriate here. Instead, trigger point massage that is used to carefully treat problem areas of the back can bring great, lasting relief with continued treatment. In some mild cases, this may be all the treatment needed. However, just like most treatments, it is a good idea to do it in conjunction with a medical method. Some physical therapists may actually offer trigger point massage, as do some chiropractors.