What is Back Pain?
Back pain is one of the most common reasons for a trip to the doctor – but that doesn’t mean it’s one complaint. In fact, back pain is typically a symptom pointing to an underlying problem that your healthcare provider can help you identify.
This is because your back is a complex piece of the human body – the spine alone is made up of more than 30 bones. Add muscles, nerves and tendons to this, and we’re looking at a pretty complex structure.
As you can imagine, this does mean that all of us are susceptible to back pain at some point or another – whether it’s from poor posture, joint pain or even an injury. It can be a nuisance, limiting your mobility, preventing sleep, and more. Whether you’re struggling to get around due to an injury or you’re in chronic pain, speaking to a licensed professional can help you regain your life.
What Causes Back Pain?
Causes are wide-ranging. From muscle/ligament strain and tearing, often caused by improperly lifting a heavy object, through to spinal conditions and injuries. Some of the most common causes are:
- A herniated spinal disc
- Spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease)
What Are My Treatment Options for Back Pain?
In many cases, the pain will dissipate after a week or two – but if it persists, shows no sign of improvement even after rest, limits mobility, and spreads to the legs, then you’ll want to see a pain specialist. It’s crucial that you see a licensed medical professional to ensure your pain is properly managed, while also finding the source of your pain. This is the quickest and easiest way to reclaim your life and ease of movement.
Some of the ways your doctor may treat your pain are:
- Rehab therapy – your doctor might develop a custom exercise plan, designed to encourage normal, pain-free movement to resume.
- Trigger point injections – Trigger point injections can help soothe muscle pain in your back, by injecting pain relief into the ‘trigger points’ of your muscle.
- Chiropractic care – Our onsite chiropractors work to correct any spinal abnormalities that may be leading to your pain.
- Spinal Decompression – because sciatic nerve pain is caused by the pinching of the nerve, spinal decompression (which is the act of gently stretching your spine medically) may alleviate the pain.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) – this may be used when your back pain is extremely severe. An electrical current is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, with the goal of decreasing or changing the pain signals sent by nerves – essentially preventing the pain being felt.
- Cupping – this natural treatment focuses on placing medical cups on the painful area, which suction the skin. This breaks the tiny blood vessels under the skin, which triggers your body to respond to an injury, stimulating the natural healing process.
Frequently Asked Questions about Back Pain
1. How can I relieve pain in my back?
While many forms of back pain can be treated at home, it’s important to remember that chronic pain (anything persisting longer than 2 weeks) should be treated by a medical professional. Schedule a free consultation today!
2. How can I fix back pain at home?
For mild back pain, at home treatments include: plenty of rest and applying ice to the location of pain in 20 minute increments throughout the day.
