Coping with Chronic Back Pain

Back pain is something that affects many people at some point in their life. Many people don’t even consider their back pain to be a problem because it is either mild or short lived. There are many other people however that are deeply bothered by their back pain because of the severity and consistency. Back pain is different for everyone so it must be handled on a very individualized basis. People with chronic back pain have pain that is more consistent and painful. This type of back pain requires constant attention and treatment. To cope with back pain you can try a progression or combination of treatment options.

Rest

Although there are many treatments for back pain, you should try to utilize the treatments in the right order. You don’t want to have to do an advanced or risky treatment if it is unnecessary. One of the most basic ways to treat chronic back pain is to rest. Resting is possibly the easiest thing you can do to get some sort of relief. When you rest your body, this can help to reduce muscle tension and pain. Good old fashion rest is just what you might need to allow your back to recover in a more natural way.

Medication

Another remedy for chronic back pain is the use of over the counter medications. Medications that contain naproxen, ibuprofen and aspirin are considered to be non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. These kinds of drugs reduce inflammation of the muscles and reduce pain. If you are worried that you may become overly reliant on these medications, you should know that they are not the same as other types of pain killers. If you have concerns about NSAIDs consult your doctor.

Exercise

Exercise can be a great way to alleviate back pain that has resulted from injuries and accidents. Light to moderate exercise can increase muscle strength. Due to the fact that most back injuries occur because of muscle strain, building up muscle strength will reduce back pain. When muscles are pushed beyond their limit, sometimes all it takes is exercise to stretch them out and allow them to regain their strength.

Physical Therapy

A more systemized type of exercise is physical therapy. It involves using specialized movements and materials to build flexibility, stability, strength and mobility. People with chronic back pain can benefit from physical therapy because it is usually very manageable and doesn’t have known complications or drawbacks. It is a way to stabilize the pain and make everyday activities more bearable. Physical therapy for chronic back pain should be done in consultation with a medical professional so that you don’t put yourself at risk of injuring yourself even more.

Surgery

If you find that resting, taking medications, exercising and physical therapy don’t adequately address your chronic back pain you should possibly considering having surgery. When all other methods fail, surgery might be the option that is right for your pain. Only in the most severe cases should surgical procedures be considered because of the risk of complications.