According to the American Chiropractic Association, 50 percent of all Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year, and back pain is the second most common reason for a visit to a doctor, after upper respiratory infections. Back pain can be simply annoying, or it can be debilitating and affect your ability to perform activities of daily living. Any back pain that continues to worsen, lasts more than 72 hours, or is accompanied by numbness or tingling should be diagnosed by a back pain specialist. There are several common treatment choices for back pain.
Ice/Heat
The most common cause of low back pain is a strained muscle, which can occur with any sudden, unexpected and awkward movement. The use of an ice pack on a strained muscle is a great first step to help reduce inflammation and pain. In the first 72 hours of any inflammatory condition, ice should be used and heat avoided. Heat may temporarily feel good, but it will likely aggravate the inflammation. Use an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel for 20 minutes, every two hours.
Chiropractic Adjustment
In many cases, back pain is due to a mechanical dysfunction in the joints or muscles of the spine. Chiropractic manipulation helps restore proper and full motion to these joints, helping to ease stress and pressure and reduce pain. Chiropractic care can be effective when back pain is either acute or chronic and when it is caused by many different conditions, such as herniated discs, muscle strains, postural decline and osteoarthritis. According to numerous studies cited by the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic care has been shown to be safe and effective in comparison to other treatment options for low back pain.
Massage
When back pain is caused by stress or tight muscles of the lower back, massage therapy can be an effective treatment. Massage therapists use gentle, kneading strokes on the affected muscles in an attemp to break up adhesions, release tension, increase blood flow and reduce stress.
Medication
Several different medications may be helpful in temporarily treating back pain. NSAIDS such as asprin, ibuprofin and naproxin are over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory medications that can help reduce common low back pain due to arthritis, tendonitis or muscle strains, according to SpineUnivers.com. Prescription muscle relaxers---such as Flexeril, Soma and Skelaxin---can be helpful in breaking muscle spasm that often will accompany back pain. According to SpineUniverse.com, those medications are often prescribed to treat whiplash, muscle sprain/strain and other painful musculoskeletal injuries.
Exercise
According to Bigbackpain.com, weak or tight muscles can throw your back out of alignment and allow for dysfunction that leads to pain. Recovery and injury prevention are enhanced when stretching and exercise are used on a daily basis to restore proper function of the back. Exercises such as straight leg lifts, abdominal contractions and pelvic tilts will help strengthen the muscles of the back, and the abdomen and reduce or eliminate back pain.
