Lower back pain can affect your quality of life and you’ll need to follow certain remedies to get adequate relief. Here are ways to get relief from chronic back pain.
1. Proper Posture
You must pay attention to how you sleep, walk, sit or stand. You will worsen your back pain when you don’t have a proper sitting position. Place a pillow between your seat and your lower back for extra comfort. Always keep your feet flat. Here are ways to maintain good posture.
- Ensure your forearms remain parallel to the floor.
- Keep your knees lower than your hips.
- Regularly switch your sitting positions.
- Shift your weight from one leg to another when you stand too long.
2. Physical Therapy
The physical therapy programs strengthen muscle groups that improve flexibility and mobility. The treatment is used together with other methods. You should only try exercise under the guidance of a physical therapist. The physical therapist will provide exercise to suit your condition. Your physical therapist will teach you how to move, stand, and sit to ensure your spine is in proper alignment. Increasing strength, endurance, and flexibility will reduce back pain. Some examples of physical therapy for chronic back pain are:
- Core strengthening
- Aerobic exercises
- Stretching exercises
3. Spinal Injections
Injections can relax the trigger points that cause back pain. Your doctor may recommend a spinal injection such as a corticosteroid to relieve inflammation and pain. Injections are used when the source of pain has been established. However, they can only prevent pain for some time and cannot be used long-term. If the low back pain is associated with inflammation, your doctor may use epidural steroid injections. Talk to a back and spine specialist in Phoenix to determine the best spinal injection treatment.
4. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the alternative treatments to relieve chronic back pain. The treatment uses needles on the pain points. It stimulates the points by passing an electrical current through them. Acupuncture causes the body to release painkilling chemicals such as acetylcholine, serotonin, and endorphins.
5. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
TENS gets rid of chronic back pain by generating impulses that block the body’s perception of pain. By stimulating the nerves, the spinal cord gate mechanism is closed during the treatment. Electrodes are placed on the painful part, and you’ll get pain relief immediately. When using the TENS, be careful so that the electrodes don’t touch any irritated skin. Make sure you get instructions from your doctor on how to use the TENS machine.
6. Medications
Your doctor may also recommend medications to get rid of chronic back pain. You can also use a nonprescription medicine to relieve stiffness and muscle ache. Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) will help to reduce pain. NSAIDs can lower inflammation, but acetaminophen doesn’t. Take the NSAIDs according to the doctor’s directions because overuse can lead to side effects. Your doctor can also prescribe antidepressants such as amitriptyline to relieve back pain.
7. Heat and Cold Therapy
You can also use hot and cold therapy to relieve back pain. Wrap an ice pack in a towel and apply it to your back to reduce inflammation. The cold works by providing a numbing effect for intense pain. Apply the ice packs for up to 20 minutes.
A heating pad can also increase blood flow and help with healing. Exercise caution to avoid scalds or burns. Heat pads will offer immediate relief from back pain. You can also use a hot water bottle if you don’t have a heating pad.
8. Surgery
If all other methods to get rid of back pain fails, your doctor may administer surgery. Specific surgeries are used depending on the condition. Your doctor may recommend a discectomy to remove some of the bulging disc material putting pressure on your nerve. The doctor can also recommend a laminectomy to decompress where there is pressure on the spinal cord.
Chronic back pain can prevent you from doing your daily activities. If you are experiencing lower back pain, you should seek medical assistance.
