Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Diagnose your back pain
• Method 2 of 4: Treat strained muscles
• Method 3 of 4: Treating sprains
• Method 4 of 4: Treatment of chronic and degenerative conditions
• Tips

Back pain is a serious problem. It is estimated that at some point about 31 million Americans experience back pain and 50% of workers admit to significant back pain every year. There are many causes of back pain. Most of the time they are of a mechanical nature, which means that they are not caused by serious conditions such as inflammatory arthritis, hernia, an infection or cancer. For mechanical back pain there are a variety of treatment options including chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy and acupuncture. Understanding the cause and severity of your back pain is crucial because it determines the treatment to follow.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Diagnose your back pain

1. Give it some time. Most back pain caused by overwork or minor accidents (such as slips and falls) will resolve on their own after a few days. So, if the pain is not too severe, try to have some patience and chances are the back pain will go away without any kind of treatment.
   • Severe pain combined with numbness or tingling in the legs is often a sign of a serious back injury.
   • It is important to get professional help if the back pain is accompanied by urinary problems, fever, or unintentional weight loss.
2. Make an appointment with your doctor. If the pain in your lower back doesn't go away after a few days of taking it easy, make an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor will examine your back (spine) and ask about your family medical history, diet, and lifestyle, and may even take an X-ray or have a blood test (to rule out rheumatoid arthritis or a spinal infection). However, your doctor is not a muscle, skeletal and back specialist, so you may need a referral for another doctor with more specialized training.
   • Your doctor may recommend anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or pain relievers such as acetaminophen to help you manage your back pain.
3. Ask for a referral to a specialist. You may want to see a specialist if your back pain is not getting better with rest and medication. Mechanical low back pain is not considered a serious medical condition, but it can be very painful and debilitating, causing you to miss work or sports activities. Common causes include muscle strain, spinal joint sprain, spinal nerve irritation, and spinal disc degeneration. However, medical specialists such as an orthopedist, neurologist or rheumatologist may be needed to rule out most serious conditions, such as an infection (osteomyelitis), cancer, osteoporosis, a spinal fracture, hernia, kidney disease or rheumatoid arthritis.
   • X-rays, bone scans, an MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound are therapeutic methods that specialists can use to help diagnose your back pain.
   • The lower back, or lumbar region, is more susceptible to damage and pain because it supports the weight of the upper body.
4. Understand what causes back pain. Make sure to ask the doctor for a clear explanation of the diagnosis, especially the cause (if possible), and to provide you with different treatment options for your condition. Only the most serious causes of back pain require surgery, which is quite rare. Sometimes mild back pain resolves itself within a few days, but for more debilitating back pain, treatment is recommended as it will likely reduce the duration of the pain and reduce the risk of a recurring (chronic) problem.
   • Pain from mechanical back pain can be severe, but is not accompanied by a high fever, rapid weight loss, bladder / bowel problems, or loss of leg function, all of which are signs of something more serious.
   • The most common causes of back pain are poor posture, improper lifting technique, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and minor injuries from sports activities.

Method 2 of 4: Treat strained muscles

1. Take a bath with Epsom salt. Overworked (or pulled) muscles are the most common cause of back pain. The paraspinal muscles of the lower back are thick and powerful, but are prone to damage when hypothermic, dehydrated, or overworked. Soaking the entire back and legs in a warm bath with Epsom salt can significantly reduce pain, swelling and muscle tension. The magnesium in the salt helps the muscle fibers relax and heal, which can sometimes relieve pain surprisingly quickly.
   • Make sure the salt bath is not too hot or it will draw water out of your body, which can dry out your muscles and increase the risk of further damage.
   • Back pain from overworked muscles is usually described as nagging and is not particularly debilitating. The range of motion may be limited, but walking, sitting and sleeping are usually still possible.
2. Go to a massage therapist. An overloaded muscle occurs when individual muscle fibers are forced past their tensile strength and then tear, leading to pain, inflammation and some degree of retention (muscle spasms in attempts to prevent further damage from occurring). Deep tissue massage is helpful for mild to moderate injuries as it reduces muscle spasms, fights inflammation and relaxes. Start with a 30-minute massage, focusing on your lower back and hips. Let the therapist go as deep as you can handle without flinching.
   • Always drink plenty of water right after a massage to flush out the inflammation byproducts, lactic acid, and toxins from your body. If you don't do this, you may experience a headache or mild nausea.
   • As an alternative to massage therapy, place a tennis ball under your body, near your back pain. Slowly roll over the ball until the pain goes away.
3. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist about exercise. An overloaded muscle will improve faster if you start with light stretching and strengthening exercises as soon as possible. Make sure to always do the exercises within a range of motion without pain. If you suffer from acute muscle tension (a recent injury), start with a light aerobic exercise, such as walking. If you are in constant pain during exercise, stop and see your doctor.
4. Take muscle relaxants. Medication for relaxing muscles (such as cyclobenzaprine) can certainly relieve the discomfort of mild to moderate back pain caused by injured muscles, but they tend to put stress on the stomach, kidneys, and liver, so they should be at their best. considered a short term solution. Keep in mind that muscle relaxants can make other muscles in the body feel strange because they travel all over the body through the bloodstream, not just the back.
   • Side effects of muscle relaxants include drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation and confusion.
   • An alternative to muscle relaxants are anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen.

Method 3 of 4: Treating sprains

1. Reduce your activity level. The first step is rest - to take care of it, stop any activity that could aggravate the injury, at least for a few days. More rest (several weeks) may be needed depending on the severity of your back injury. For back pain, it is a good idea to lie on your back with your knees bent and your legs slightly elevated as this can relieve pressure on the lower spine and provide some pain relief.
   • However, it is not a good idea to lie on your back for hours on end. At least get up once every hour to get some exercise, even if only slightly, and try to take a gentle walk every day.
   • Avoid sitting for excessive length of time (more than 30 minutes at a time) as it puts more pressure on the lower back joints and can further irritate them.
2. Apply ice. Cold therapy (ice wrapped in a thin towel or frozen gel packs) should be applied to the injury as soon as possible to keep the swelling from getting worse. Ice should be applied every hour for approximately 10–15 minutes, after which the frequency can be reduced once the pain and swelling have subsided. Holding the ice against your back will help fight the inflammation further.
   • Back pain from joint overload is usually described as a sharp pain that shoots in and tends to be quite bothersome. Most of the range of motion in the affected area is temporarily lost, and walking, sitting, and sleeping have become noticeably more difficult.
   • People with spinal sprains usually walk bent to one side, because the muscles around the affected joints quickly contract to "protect" the injury.
3. See a chiropractor or osteopath. Chiropractors and osteopaths are spinal specialists who focus on restoring the normal movement and function of the small spinal joints that connect to the vertebrae (the spinal facet joints). Manual manipulation of the joints, also called an adjustment, can be used to loosen or reposition facet joints, if they are misaligned, causing inflammation and sharp pain, especially during movement. Often you will hear a "popping" sound during a spinal adjustment, such as the snapping of your fingers. Traction techniques or stretching the back can also help.
   • While a single spinal adjustment can sometimes completely relieve back pain, three to five treatments are more likely to be required for significant results.
   • If uneven length legs or flat feet are likely the primary cause of your back pain, your doctor or chiropractor may recommend an orthosis, custom insoles that support the arch of the foot to promote better biomechanics during running and walking, and it can help relieve back pain.
4. Get an injection in the facet joint. An injection into the facet joint involves real-time fluoroscopic (X-ray) guidance of a needle through the back muscles and into the inflamed or irritated spinal joint, followed by an anesthetic and a corticosteroid mixture, which quickly relieves both the pain and inflammation in the area. An injection into the facet joint takes about 20-30 minutes and the results can last from a few weeks to a few months.
   • No more than three facet joint injections should be given in any six month period.
   • Pain relief from facet joint injections usually starts on the second or third day after treatment. Until then, the back pain may get a bit worse.

Method 4 of 4: Treatment of chronic and degenerative conditions

1. Physiotherapy. If your back pain keeps returning (chronic back pain) and is caused by weak spinal muscles, poor posture, or degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis, then you should consider some type of rehabilitation. A physical therapist can show you specific and tailor-made stretches for the back, hips, and abs (all of which are involved in chronic low back pain). Physiotherapy is usually given 2-3x per week for 4-8 weeks for positive results in the treatment of chronic back pain.
   • If necessary, a physical therapist can treat your sore muscles with electrotherapy such as therapeutic ultrasound, electronic muscle stimulation or microcurrent.
   • Good strengthening exercises for you include swimming, rowing, and back extensions, but make sure your injury is healed first.
2. Try acupuncture. Acupuncture is the insertion of very thin needles at specific energy points in the skin / muscle in an attempt to reduce pain and inflammation. Acupuncture can be effective for many different causes of back pain, especially if it is done when symptoms first appear. Based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture works by releasing a number of substances, including endorphins and serotonin, that act like pain relievers.
   • It is also said that acupuncture stimulates the flow of energy, called chi.
   • Acupuncture is practiced by a variety of health professionals, including some doctors, chiropractors, naturopaths, physiotherapists, and masseurs.
3. Try yoga and meditation. Yoga and meditation are other aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Yoga is an effective strategy for relieving back pain by making people more aware of how they move their bodies. It also helps stretch muscles, improves flexibility, and often has a calming or relaxing effect on people. Meditation often goes hand in hand with yoga and can reduce emotional and physical stress, both of which contribute to chronic back pain.
   • Mindfulness meditation has been shown to be effective in reducing pain. One study found that 3 sessions of 3 days and 20 minutes each was enough to significantly reduce pain. In addition, the pain was reduced after the meditation, which means that the results lasted longer after the meditation was finished.
   • People who are depressed or suffer from serious trauma are more likely to experience chronic complaints and pains.

Tips

• It was once thought that total bed rest would be necessary to recover from back pain, but it is now known that people who remain relatively active often recover more quickly.
• Do not lift objects by bending over from the waist. Instead, bend the hips and knees and then bend your knees to lift the object, keeping your back straight and the object close to your body.
• The best sleeping position for your back is to lie on one side with your knees bent and a pillow between the knees for support. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
• Quit smoking as it impedes blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deficiencies in the back muscles and other tissues.