Ways to Improve Back Pain
Article featured on Orthopaedic Associates
Back pain is a pain to deal with, affecting millions of Americans every day. Those who suffer from back pain daily may find it hard to focus on their daily activities, like going to work or cooking a meal. Unfortunately, back pain tends to be persistent and doesn’t just go away overnight.
If you find your back pain has lasted longer than three months, it’s considered chronic back pain. That being said, chronic back pain doesn’t have to be a life sentence.
Causes of Chronic Back Pain
Chronic back pain typically affects men and women as they age, but it isn’t always correlated with age. Other common reasons patients may experience back pain include:
- Trauma
- Arthritis (in the spine)
- Bulging or herniated discs
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal cord)
- Pinched nerves
If you’re unsure what is causing your back pain, it’s important to see a specialist who can properly diagnose you. Diagnostic testing to determine the cause of your back pain can help your physician better treat you and can help you focus on home remedies that best suit your needs. Your physician may recommend an MRI scan or x-ray to establish the source of your back pain.
Many believe the only way to treat their back pain is through surgery, but that is far from the truth. There are several ways you can treat your chronic back pain without using surgical techniques, including the following.
1. Physical Therapy and Exercise
Physical therapy and light exercise are some of the best things you can do to reduce your chronic back pain. Physical therapy sessions and regular exercise will help you strengthen the muscles in your back and around your spine, reducing both inflammation and the straining of the muscles in your affected areas. We encourage you to work with a physical therapist to find which exercises will work best for you and your condition.
2. Injections
Injection-based treatments are minimally invasive and can often be as effective as invasive surgical procedures. Injection-based treatments include nerve blocks, steroid injections, and forms of regenerative medicine like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. These treatments are effective because they directly introduce an anti-inflammatory or regenerative medicine to your affected areas.
3. Lifestyle Changes
When you have chronic back pain, you often have to accept it and adapt. This doesn’t mean giving up hope – rather, it means reducing instances that can worsen your inflammation by making small changes to your lifestyle. Some lifestyle modifications our physicians recommend include making several trips to carry in groceries rather than carrying them in all at once and taking short breaks between long periods of strenuous activities like cleaning the house or mowing the lawn.
New Mexico Orthopaedics is a multi-disciplinary orthopedic clinic located in Albuquerque New Mexico. We have multiple physical therapy clinics located throughout the Albuquerque metro area.
New Mexico Orthopaedics offers a full spectrum of services related to orthopedic care and our expertise ranges from acute conditions such as sports injuries and fractures to prolonged, chronic care diagnoses, including total joint replacement and spinal disorders.
Because our team of highly-trained physicians specialize in various aspects of the musculoskeletal system, our practice has the capacity to treat any orthopedic condition, and offer related support services, such as physical therapy, WorkLink and much more.
If you need orthopedic care in Albuquerque New Mexico contact New Mexico Orthopaedics at 505-724-4300.