Finding a treatment for your back pain is dependent upon the type of injury or disease that you have. Though many spinal injuries seem similar, all of them have their own specific treatments.
What are some factors that can help determine your treatment options?
- Your diagnosis
- Your anatomy
- Any prior surgeries you may have had
Finding treatment for your back pain is dependent on each case and its circumstances. A treatment that might work for one person will not work for the next person because each individual has a different set of conditions that determine their treatment.
How do you find the right treatment plan for you?
Back pain can be distinctly different in each case, thus treatment options will vary from patient to patient. You should first receive a definite diagnosis, which can give you a starting point in finding the correct remedy. Next, your doctor should discuss various treatment options and find the one that will work best for you and any of your underlying circumstances.
Furthermore, it is important to make sure you have not chosen the wrong treatment plan. Undergoing a treatment that does not fit with your diagnosis or does not take into account the other circumstances at play could cause even more harm to your back without providing relief. If you do not take into account all of your options before choosing a treatment plan, you could damage your back further and inflict a new injury with a more difficult and invasive treatment plan.
What are some treatment options for back pain?
- Medications:
When dealing with back pain, your doctor will likely advise you to take some over-the-counter pain medication such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, and other types of anti-inflammatories in hopes of avoiding prescription drugs or surgeries. If your back pain does not go away, your doctor might prescribe you heavier-duty muscle relaxers like Carisoprodol and Cyclobenzaprine. Finding a prescription that will work for you can be a long process because there are many underlying factors that could cause certain medications to be ineffective. In order to find the best medication for you, it is important that you speak with your doctor and discuss all of your medical history and any options you might have.
- Physical Therapy:
Physical therapy is a treatment that can reduce back pain, but a full recovery is never guaranteed. Moving and exercising the muscles that are injured can aid in pain relief, as long as the patient is doing the correct movements and stretches. Physical therapy can be used as a first step because it is less invasive than many other options. Physical therapy is a great tool to relieve soreness, and it can be an excellent form of treatment if your back pain is minor. While in physical therapy, your doctor might instruct you to wear a back brace that can offer additional support for your back. Physical therapy can be a great option for someone who would like a more natural remedy.
- Surgery:
Back surgery can be very daunting for a patient, however, in most cases, the surgeries are minimally invasive and the recovery is relatively easy. In the rare cases in which a more invasive and difficult surgery is required, you should speak with your doctor and educate yourself on the surgery and recovery process to prepare yourself and grow more comfortable with it. Usually, surgery is one of the last options that a doctor will consider because it is the most invasive out of any of the other remedies, but in certain cases, surgery can be the only option to relieve your pain and treat your injury.
Finding the correct treatment for you is of the utmost importance. If you have any further questions contact the Axis Spine Clinic and make an appointment today.