Back pains can come at any time, as all of us know. In fact, medical data reveals that four out of five Americans have encountered or will encounter back pain at one time or another in their lifetime. Back pains can be irritating, why, even disconcerting at times. Still, most back pains respond to conservative treatments and hardly require surgical options. The doctor will advise bed rest and good sleep as first steps to bring some strength to the strained muscles. But resting for more than a few days could prove to be counterproductive and might increase the ailment. Let us take a look at the various back pain remedies available for faster recovery.
For normal and chronic back pains as well as neck pains, conventional treatment process includes prescription of medications, physiotherapy, special injections and electrical stimulation, depending on the location and severity of the back pain. For certain types of chronic back pains, additional treatments like antidepressant medications, narcotics and more specialized injections might be administered. Only in cases where such remedies fail to solve the problem of back pain, the doctor would resort to surgical methods like laminectomy, laminotomy, bone fusion, intradiscal electrothermal therapy, etc.
The standard prescription medications as remedies for back pain and neck pain are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines. Physiotherapy initially starts with application of hot pads, ice, ultrasound or electrical stimulation. These are done chiefly to relax the strained muscles and tissues. As the next step, the physiotherapist would lead you through a pattern of exercises to enhance muscle flexibility and to provide strength for the back and abdominal muscles and tissues.
The doctor would administer anti-inflammatory cortisone injection for back pains or neck pains that do not respond to the abovementioned two methods of treatment. The cortisone injection is meant to reduce inflammation that has occurred around the nerve roots. As a temporary measure against acute pain, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation by sending a weak electrical current to nerve pathways can work in some cases.
For chronic back pains, apart from the above methods, the doctor might prescribe low doses of antidepressants or narcotics like codeine or hydrocodone. However, these medications have to be taken only under the strict guidance of the doctor. Self-administered pain medications or anesthetic injections that inject the medicine directly to the spinal chord through a catheter might bring relief in certain chronic and acute back pain conditions.
The majority of back pains or neck pains come under control through these conventional treatments. In extreme cases, surgical options would be considered for back pains. Laminectomy and laminotomy surgical procedures remove the bone spurs or disc fragments that press on nerve roots. Bone fusion is joining two vertebrae to remove pain. Inserting a needle into the disc through a catheter and keeping it there for about 20 minutes at a high temperature is known as intradiscal electrothermal therapy. But the effectiveness of this treatment is mostly unproved.
Home remedies for lower back and neck pain could be effective if the pain is in the initial stages. Take bed rest for 2 to 3 days but continue with light movements that do not aggravate the pain. Applying ice bags as many times as possible would reduce spasms. When the acute pain subsides a hot bath or application of hot pads in the area of pain could provide further relief to the inflamed or sore muscles and tissues. These measures could be supplemented with the intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like aspirin, etc. But remember, if the pain does not subside in 2 or 3 days, take a trip to the hospital. Do not take further risk. A thorough check by the physician is a must at this stage to find out the root cause of the pain.
The majority of back pains or neck pains come under control through conventional treatments