Chronic Back Pain's Various Treatment Options

If you're a chronic pain sufferer, then you're probably fully aware of how difficult it can be to tolerate the persistent discomfort.

Chronic pain of the back can put a serious damper on your daily lifestyle. It can prevent you from working, doing the things you love and even feeling happy. This is why it's so crucial to find a suitable treatment plan for your specific case of chronic pain. Chronic pain management often calls for numerous forms of assistance, however.

Many people rely on medication to minimize the symptoms of chronic pain. It isn't uncommon for people to use medication in conjunction with alternative treatment options. Traditional oral medication combined with physical therapy, for example, is a common technique for handling and dealing with chronic pain. Acetaminophen is frequently used for chronic back pain management. This is because the pain reliever isn't generally associated with many side effects. Other types of medications that are frequently used to handle chronic pain include NSAIDS (non-steroidal antiflammatory drugs), anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants and opiate pain relievers.

Pills aren't the only medication option for individuals looking for effective solutions for chronic back pain. Some people turn to cooling sprays and topical analgesics for relief from persistent back aching. Cooling sprays and topical analgesics both go straight on your skin.

Medication injections are yet another common treatment option for people who are simply fed up with chronic back pain. Some oft-seen forms of medication injections for chronic pain are joint block injections, epidural steroid injections, trigger block injections and nerve point injections.

While many chronic back pain sufferers do opt for medications, many others opt for totally different treatment options. As stated before, some depend on physical therapy to minimize their aching. Others go for massage therapies, relaxation therapies, meditation, tai chi, acupuncture and sometimes even behavior modification.

If you're concerned that you might be suffering from chronic back pain, do something about it now and take action. Speak to a trusted doctor to discuss all of your available treatment options. What might be suitable for one person might not necessarily be appropriate for your specific needs and problems. If you have pain that's been in your life for at least 12 weeks or so, there's a good chance that you are a chronic back pain sufferer. It isn't unusual for people to develop chronic pain after trauma. If you experienced a back sprain in the past, that could result in chronic back pain at a later time.

Learn How To Deal With Chronic Back Pain

Pain is experienced at different levels for different people. We don't all feel pain the same way, in fact; two people can have the same injury and one can be very uncomfortable with pain and yet the other tolerate the pain and not really feel much. Chronic back pain is much the same thing. Some people are more able to cope with a constant pain than others. Dealing with pain is no fun and I'm sure all of us have experienced some type of pain throughout our life. It could have been caused from an injury or disease, a toothache, a headache, recovering from an operation or labor. At any rate, pain is no fun and at times very uncomfortable. This article will talk about how to deal with chronic back pain.

Chronic back pain is an ongoing pain problem. It is termed chronic because it is long term, and in most cases constant pain. Unlike some temporary types of pain that will go away in time, chronic back pain is there to stay and very hard to deal with at times. I know it can get the best of you if you let it. As with anything, I believe in the power of positive thinking. You can talk yourself right into a depression and have a real good pity party if you want to, or you can convince your mind that you are not hurting as bad as your body is trying to tell you it is. For someone who is experiencing chronic back pain, you might say, that is easy for someone else to say because they aren't going through this type of pain. Wrong, I do know what this type of pain is like, but I do also know that chronic back pain can be controlled by how we think. We can be positive or negative and that is a choice.

There are many different things that can be done to help relieve chronic back pain. Exercise is very important and many people who suffer with chronic back pain, won't do much exercise because it hurts. Like I said, the power of positive thinking plays a roll here too because, if you don't exercise, the muscles become weak from being protected. Instead of stretching the muscles and keeping them strong which is what exercise does, they tend to shrink and then as you stand or walk, they are stretched and you feel stretched and the result is pain. Chronic back pain has to be dealt with at the early stages in order for it to not fester and get worse.

Some other options for dealing with chronic back pain are of course medications. There are many forms of pain meds and many have addictive natures to them. If you can convince yourself that an ibuprofen is going to take away the pain, try to, because once you reach the level of morphine and oxycodone or in that family, it is very hard to ever get off of them. You become so dependent on these drugs and your body will build immunity to them that eventually you will require stronger doses to relieve the same amount of chronic back pain. As a result, you will want to sleep more and can be slower in your thinking and movement process.

Before relying on pain meds, try natural cures for chronic back pain such as soaking in a hot bath, or hot tub. Try using heat wraps and heat packs to relieve the pain. Deep massage can be painful, but helpful if you can force yourself to endure. Physical therapy is also helpful. All of these things will increase blood circulation to the problem area, and increased blood flow will promote healing and lesson the discomfort that chronic back pain brings. Take control over your chronic back pain, don't let it control you.

What is Chronic Back Pain?

A "pain in the back" can be much more painful when it is chronic. Chronic back pain affects millions of people in the US, and that appears to be a consistent number from year to year. When there is no biological reason for pain to continue, it can be described as chronic. An example of this would be your hand on a hot iron. When you feel the pain of the heat, it is because your brain is telling you that if you leave your hand there, it will burn. Chronic pain is when there seems to be no reason for the pain, in that doing something about it, as in moving the hand, will prevent further injury to the body. Chronic pain is identified as pain lasting for more than three to six months after different therapies and drugs have been used to address the pain with no long term relief. When you know your back and how it works, addressing your physician with your symptoms and being aware of the source can be beneficial to relief from chronic back pain.

Understanding the Back

The human back is a complex organism made up of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons, and laced with arteries, veins, and capillaries from the heart and nerves coming from the spinal cord. The back is responsible for supporting us in all sorts of movements, from playing sports to dancing, and from picking up things off of the floor to being able to sit down. Our back twists, turns, bends and curves, and because of this huge jigsaw puzzle, there is potential for injury and harm at every point. With all of these seemingly complicated movements, one would think that doing them would cause more risk than not doing them. Not so. When a back is not "put through the movements" and exercised and stretched on a regular basis, it has more potential to become injured when it is making those moves. Often, people become injured when they are doing what could be interpreted as a harmless motion, such as over reaching a bit, bending over to pick something up, or even a sneeze. When the body is put into a movement that is not natural, or hasn't been done repetitively, it may react; much like one has sore muscles after performing a new type of exercise. So you see, while it is very complex, the back needs to be in shape, stretched and exercised regularly to overcome sudden movements that could cause injury.

Areas and Types of Chronic Back Pain

Pain is the body's reaction to something that needs the attention of your brain, to stay off of your feet or not sit, stand or lie in a particular position. It can be aching, throbbing, sharp or dull. The pain can be felt in the cervical, or neck region, the thoracic - mid-back region or in the lower back, or lumbar area. Because the weight of the top part of the body rests on the lumbar region and it is the area used for sitting and the majority of bending, this is where most chronic back pain lies.

Causes of Chronic Back Pain

Chronic back pain can be caused by a number of factors, affects patients differently, and how it affects them may depend upon their age. An injury or a slipped disc can happen to an older or a younger person, while a degeneration of the spinal bones caused by osteoarthritis or osteoporosis will most typically not affect a person until they are over 60.

A back disc, the cushion that lies between the vertebrae can move and shift and even burst, affecting the connecting nerves. This is a common occurrence called a slipped disc or a herniated disc. While in some patients it will not cause pain, often it can be a severe hindrance. Sometimes, an injury caused many years ago, such as a fracture to the vertebra can cause slippage in the bones and cause chronic back pain.

Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of the cartilage and bone of the joints, and this deterioration of the spine can produce pain because the nerves of the joints are compressed.

How to Address Chronic Back Pain

Resources galore exist for sufferers of chronic back pain. National organizations such as the American Chronic Pain Association host a website and offer support groups and literature, local hospitals and physician offices offer some of the same services. Consult your physician for exercises to stretch and move the afflicted area, and follow them regularly. A chart to document your progress in terms of time spent and reduction of pain may be helpful as well. Other exercise and stretching exist in the form of Yoga and Pilates, which strengthens your core and lumbar region. Many medications are available that will provide relief, and your physician will be able to recommend one that is best for you. Side effects and dependency are concerns with a pain medication prescription and should only be taken for the time prescribed.

Potential Relief for Chronic Back Pain

Addressing chronic back pain is a personal issue, but if you want to pursue relief, it can be found. In addition to medication, physical therapy, exercise and even surgery are utilized. Spinal decompression is a method that can relieve pressure from the back. Relaxation, stretching, focus on abilities and not on pain, and basically, not dwelling on the pain are factors that must be considered with chronic back pain.