So you know you’ve got back pain.  You don’t need a doctor to tell you that.  The question is, with all the back pain treatment options available to you in Overland Park and throughout the entire Kansas City metro area, how do you decide what’s best for you?

Eighty percent of Kansas City’s population will seek out back pain treatment options at some point in their lives, so even if you haven’t suffered with back pain yet, you probably know someone who has.

When back pain does strike, most of us don’t have the time to research every treatment available, so we have put together a list of the back pain treatment options in Overland Park and the surrounding areas to help you make a more educated decision.

How to Choose a Back Pain Treatment Option That Actually Fixes the Problem

Unfortunately, your back is often a target area for pain because the weight of your whole upper body puts a lot of mechanical stress and strain on the spine.
The spine is made up of 24 spinal bones called vertebrae.  Each of these bones are stacked on top of each other, and between each pair of vertebrae is a disc that acts like a shock absorber to protect the spine (and nerves coming out of it) against the pull of gravity and all of the crazy stresses we put on it on a daily basis –  like jumping, running and lifting.

One of the most common causes of back pain is a degenerative disc.  That’s a fancy word for the condition where the cushions between your spinal bones lose their ability to absorb the shocks of daily life.  When the disc weakens and begins to collapse, the bones of the spine compress, often pinching on the nerves that travel out between each pair of vertebrae.

So what are your options?

1.  Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractors are known for treating back pain.  In fact, back pain treatment is the most common service administered in chiropractic clinics across the globe.  They are considered specialists in the field.

Overland Park back pain treatment through chiropractic care begins with a complete history and physical exam to uncover the cause of the pain.  During the exam your chiropractor will ask questions about your symptoms and what types of activities seem to make your symptoms better or worse.  This exam helps the chiropractor determine the general area of the spine that may be the source of the back pain.

Following the exam, your chiropractor will usually take X-rays.  The X-rays allow the chiropractor to isolate the exact joints causing the problem.  They also show the condition of the discs between each vertebra.

Chiropractic back pain treatment involves a chiropractic adjustment which is a light force applied to the affected joints.  The purpose of the adjustment is to restore motion to joints that are locked up or fixated.  When proper movement and alignment is restored, the discs can often repair themselves enough to alleviate the pressure placed on the nerve.

2.  Electrical Stimulation

It’s not as bad as it sounds.

The term “Electrical Stimulation” doesn’t mean that someone zaps you with a taser.

This type of low back pain treatment through physical therapy sends low-voltage electoral currents through the skin through electrodes placed near the source of your pain.  This type of low back pain treatment is short-term, however.  The electricity stimulates the nerves in the affected area and scrambles the normal pain perception from the brain for a finite period of time.

But, electrical stimulation can provide enough pain relief to allow a patient to begin moving again and is often used effectively in conjunction with chiropractic treatment to increase the effectiveness of the chiropractic adjustment and aid in the healing process.

3.  Acupuncture

Acupuncture, when used as a form of back pain treatment, involves inserting thin needles at certain points on the body. These needles stimulate the nervous system and trigger the release of chemicals into the muscles, spine and brain.  These chemicals can change how you perceive pain.

4.  Injections

Medications can be injected into the area where nerves are damaged or inflamed.  This type of back pain treatment is more invasive, but can be effective in extreme cases.  There are several type of injection.  Two of the most common are:

• Epidural – an injection of a steroid medicine between the bones of the spine and the spinal cord
• Nerve Block – an injection of a numbing medicine around the nerve that lasts several hours

These injections can sometimes help doctors to diagnose the source of back pain by seeing which injection causes the pain to go away, but they only provide short term relief and are not used to provide permanent back pain relief.

5.  Back Surgery

Back surgery can be scary.

People usually choose back surgery only after trying all other back pain treatment options.   Even then, surgery isn’t always successful and may not result in pain relief for everyone.  In fact, studies show that it’s hard for surgeons to accurately predict which patients will experience back pain relief after surgery and which won’t.

There are 5 types of back surgery, and each of them include various levels of risk.

• Spinal Fusion – a surgeon joins spinal bones together, restricting motion between the bones of the spine and limiting the stretching of nerves
  • Risk: In complete fusion that may require additional surgery.
• Laminectomy – a surgeon removes parts of the bone or ligaments in the back relieving pressure on the spinal nerves
  • Risk: This causes the spine to be less stable and may require spinal fusion as well.
• Foraminotomy – a surgeon cuts away the side of the a vertebra to widen the space where nerve roots exit the spine
  • Risk: This can also reduce the stability of the spine.
• Disectomy – a surgeon removes all or part of a disc – usually done in conjunction with another type of surgery
• Disc Replacement – a surgeon performs a disectomy and replaces an artificial disc between the vertebrae
  • Risk: The foreign device inserted into the spine can dislodge or fail

All forms of back surgery may cause bleeding, infection, heart attack, stroke, recurrent disc herniation, and nerve damage.  However, for most patients, the real question is whether or not to take the risk when they may not experience any back pain relief – even after recovering from surgery.

Weigh the Risks Before Making Your Decision

Most patients suffering from back pain begin with the least-invasive form of treatment and then continue toward more-invasive forms of back pain relief only if necessary.

Our Overland Park chiropractors specialize in back pain treatment through chiropractic adjustments, electrical stimulation and acupuncture. They proudly serve the entire Kasnsas City Metro area including Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Gardner, Leawood and Spring Hill.  Open 7 days a week, the care and convenience they provide to their patients is unmatched in Overland Park or Kansas City.  Schedule an appointment online or learn more about back pain relief.