A Closer Look at Lower Back Pain Relief
By Eddie Tobey
As many as 8 out of 10 adults will experience back pain in their lifetime,
and most of them will feel it in their lower back. When we consider that our
lower back bears the brunt of our body weight, and that our back is made up of
many vertebrae, a few discs to absorb shock, several major nerves and joints
that allow for movement of the spine, stacked on top of each other, this
statistic begins to make more sense.
Back pain is either acute, appearing quickly and intensely after an accident
or injury and lasting only a short while, or chronic, recurrent pain that can
come seemingly out of nowhere. The direct causes of chronic back pain are rarely
obvious - simple movements, arthritis, bad posture, obesity, and internal
disorders can all cause our backs to ache.
It is important to try to pinpoint the cause so you can get the most
appropriate type of treatment for your low back pain. Doctors often recommend
medications for lower back pain relief. Both over-the-counter and prescription
medicines can ease lower back pain, and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
(NSAIDs), which include aspirin and ibuprofen, can significantly reduce
inflammation as well as back pain. Acetaminophen, available in many
over-the-counter medicines, acts as an analgesic and is often used to treat
acute pain. Occasionally doctors prescribe opioids or muscle relaxants for
severe pain, although these can be habit-forming. Once common, doctors prescribe
back surgery less often nowadays, which usually involves implanting one of
several medical devices to stabilize and fuse the spine.
The medical community is now questioning the efficacy of bed rest, once
thought to be essential for healing and lower back pain relief. Medical studies
seem to prove just the opposite - that exercise is the real healer. Specific
exercises strengthen back muscles, increase flexibility and tone, and pump fluid
into back discs, alleviating soreness caused by disc dehydration. Getting up and
moving or performing physical therapy can relieve back pain.
Many sufferers say they have experienced lower back pain relief through
acupuncture, an ancient Chinese treatment in which needles are placed in
specific points on the body. Chiropractic, whose practitioners realign the
vertebrae of the spine to correct imbalances in the musculoskeletal system,
provides relief for others. Whichever type of treatment one chooses, it is
important to remember that there are many causes of lower back pain, and no one
treatment will work for everyone.
Pain Relief Info
provides detailed information on arthritis, back, joint, lower back, natural,
chronic, neck, sciatica, knee, fibromyalgia, and muscle pain relief. Pain Relief
Info is the sister site of Acid Reflux Web.
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