When your back randomly started hurting, you may need to see a chiropractor for chiropractic care. There are many different types of back pain that can appear in different areas of your back. You may have early morning lower back pain, and this may be sciatica. Sciatica is when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed and causes pain in the lower back as well as other areas. A chiropractor can help with this problem.
If you have inflamed back pain, there are a number of causes that could be behind it. To find out what is wrong with it, you can go to your regular doctor or a chiropractor. Oftentimes, doctors will refer their patients to a chiropractor because they are unable to help with back pain. A chiropractor has a number of different therapies that can be used to help relieve the pain. They can also help with knee pain and back pain.
A chiropractor can engage in manual adjustments of your spine, and this sometimes eases the pain that patients have. They may also apply massage therapy to the area to help with pain and stiffness in your back. Some chiropractors also do acupuncture to make people feel better.
Up to 69% of Americans say that low back pain affects their day to day lives. If you deal with chronic back pain on a daily basis, you are not alone. While back pain diagnosis is difficult and there is no guaranteed successful treatment currently available, there are methods that are useful in dealing with the chronic pain. If you are no stranger to chronic back pain, consider adding any of these pain relieving methods into your current health plan.
See a physician
At least 40% of people suffering from long term low back pain do not see a doctor or physical therapist. Some patients might not have health insurance and worry about the high costs of medical care. Others do not want to go through the long and frustrating process of diagnosing low back pain. Additionally, without any guaranteed treatments available, some see seeking medical care as pointless. However, seeing a physician is important in at least ruling out more severe of causes. A physician can also recommend treatments that can reduce pain, such as physical therapy. Your physician can also refer you to top doctors that deal with chronic back pain.
Be active
When you are in pain, the last thing you want to do is be active. But, remaining active, despite lower back pains is important. It keeps the nearby muscles toned and can prevent a worsening of the injury. Regular exercise also keeps excess weight off of the body, which can exacerbate an already problematic back. Some minor exercise restrictions might need to be made for safe exercise, but some amount is important. Working with a physician or physical therapist can help the patients create an exercise routine that they can complete, without injuring themselves any worse.
Know when an emergency is present
When you deal with chronic pain for many months, or years, you somewhat get used to the pain. Although the pain might not get any easier, you are not tempted to run to the emergency department or urgent care center with each new pain. Falling into this sense of comfort can be dangerous though. While the majority of back pains are mechanical, some are due to life threatening conditions. For example, if you lose complete control of your bowels or movement ability, emergency medical care is needed. It is important to not fall into this comfort pattern and know when urgent care is needed.
Avoid surgery until absolutely necessary
Some physicians are quick to push surgery as a treatment. However, if the diagnosis is incorrect or the surgery is not completed properly, it is unlikely to fix the problem. Always do your research when considering surgery, especially on the back. A study published in World Neurosurgery found that, among 96 patients treated for Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), there were no significant differences in outcomes between the 53 that were treated with lumbar fusion and the 43 who chose to pursue nonoperative treatment (i.e. physical therapy). Surgery is not always a permanent solution.
Be aware of pain triggers
Beginning to understand your pain can also help you to reduce it. If you know the events and actions that tend to increase your pain, you can begin to avoid these activities. If you experience a pain trigger, you know to visit the local after hours urgent care center for treatment. While you might not be able to avoid every single activity associated with back pains, you can reduce the more serious ones. Anyone that deals with chronic pain know how much of a difference a single day of reduced pain can make.
Dealing with chronic pain can be frustrating, tiresome, and affect your daily life. If you deal with chronic back pain, you might often feel like there is no cure. For most conditions, there isn?t a cure, but you can take steps to reduce your pain and improve your overall condition. You can also avoid emergencies by becoming familiar with your local urgent care center location.