Back Pain Treatment

Tip: Stay Hydrated. Drink plenty of water to help flush away acidic waste products from the muscles. High levels of acidic waste products (byproducts of muscular activity) in the muscles can cause muscle irritation and pain.

Back Exercises

If you have suffered a back injury, ask your physician or physical therapist when to begin exercises. Strength and flexibility must be built up gradually. Doing too much too soon often causes muscle strain.

For detailed information on back exercises, see Post-Injury Exercise and Back Exercises Pages.

Stretching Exercises: Gentle stretching exercises are often recommended to help to loosen up tight muscles and increase mobility. Lower back stretches also increase the space between the vertebrae and can relieve pain caused by compressed spinal nerves. Be careful not to overstretch. Warming up with five minutes of walking or exercise bike before stretching increases blood flow to the muscles and reduces the chance of injury.

Strengthening Exercises: Strong back and abdominal muscles are needed to support and protect the spine. Muscles are the spine's main defense against gravity. Strengthening the muscles that support the spine with back exercises, abdominal exercises and buttocks exercises, can prevent, reduce or eliminate back pain.

Low Impact Aerobics: Low-impact aerobics tone the muscles that support the back without causing undue strain on the back. Besides strengthening muscles, low impact aerobics increase circulation, which aids in healing and improves the health of the intervertebral discs.

Invasive Back Pain Treatments

Epidural steroid injections may relieve pain involving the irritation of a spinal nerve root. This type of pain is often felt as burning or shooting pain. In the lower spine, pain may radiate down the buttocks into the leg. In the neck, pain may radiate down the shoulders and arm. Other symptoms such as tingling and numbness may also occur.

Epidural Steroid Injections involve injecting a powerful anti-inflammatory combined with a local anesthetic into the epidural space of the spinal canal.

Complementary Back Pain Treatments (CAM)

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes any medical treatment that is not currently considered to be part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used along with mainstream medicine, while alternative medicine is used in place of it.

Some CAM therapies have more evidence than others of effectiveness and safety for the condition being treated. Go to Complementary and Alternative Medicine Page for more information on CAM treatments.

List of CAM Treatments

Acupuncture may stimulate the production of the body's own pain-relief substances. Though there are a variety of acupuncture techniques, a commonly used method involves inserting very fine needles into specific points in the body. Stimulating specific points of the body is believed to stimulate healing. Most studies have had positive results.

Chiropractic Treatment: Chiropractors treat back pain by manipulating the spine to help restore normal range of motion in the spinal joints, taking stress off surrounding soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, fascia) and providing back pain relief.

Inversion Tables
The Inversion Table stretches the spine and relieves back pain.

Traction: Spinal Traction is constant or intermittent pulling force applied to the spine to gradually stretch the spine. There are different techniques used in spinal traction, both mechanical and manual.

Spinal Decompression Therapy: Spinal Decompression Therapy is also called Vertebral Axial Decompression or VAX-D. It is a form of mechanical lumbar traction.

Massage therapy performed by a professional massage therapist can relieve back pain by manipulating the soft tissues (muscles and tendons) to help relax tense back muscles and increase blood circulation to flush out waste products from the back muscles, and accelerate healing.

Low-Level Laser Therapy is the application of visible red or near-infrared light emitted from a low power laser that, believed to speed healing and reduce pain and inflammation.

Prolotherapy
This treatment is used for the treatment of chronic back pain that may be caused by by damaged, weak, or lax ligaments.

Calcium and Magnesium help relax the muscles and prevent muscle spasms. Calcium also helps clear lactic acid from the body.

Supplements for Osteoarthritis
Supplements that appear to be effective in relieving pain and improving function in those with osteoarthritis.

Hydrotherapy is the use of water (including steam and ice) for therapeutic purposes

TENS
TENS: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. Stimulation of the nerves to relieve pain.

Stress Reduction for Back Pain: The muscles of the back and neck are commonly affected by stress. Stress alone can cause back pain. Not only does stress cause tensing of muscles which restricts blood flow (oxygen) to the tissues in the tensed area, but stress hormones are released that intensify the perception of pain. Stress can also intensify back pain for which there is a clear physical cause. By causing the back muscles to tighten up, stress also leaves the back vulnerable to injury. Like keeping physically fit through exercise, stress management is an ongoing process.

Footwear
Shoes with adequate cushioning and support to prevent back pain.

Combining Treatments for Back Pain Relief

Sometimes a multi-dimensional approach is needed for sufficient back pain relief. When one treatment provides partial but not sufficient relief of back pain, a combination of treatments may be needed.

*Always consult your doctor before trying a new back pain treatment. Some treatments may be contradicted for certain back conditions, e.g. massage therapy for those with severe osteoporosis (porous bones).

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