Finding the Right Treatment for Back Pain

Back pain flares up when you least expect it.

Sharp, shooting pain that sometimes hurts so much you can’t even stand up straight…. But how do you figure out the cause so you can choose the best treatment for back pain?

Your spine is made up of 33 bones that make up your spinal column.  Also called, vertebrae, these bones protect your spinal cord.  Between each of the vertebra is a disc that acts like a shock absorber and provides the space for your nerves to exit and run throughout your entire body.

What Causes Back Pain?

There are several things that can cause back pain:

• Car Accidents or Auto Injury
• Sports Injuries
• Poor Sleep Habits
• Muscle Strains and Spasms
• Lifting Improperly
• Sitting or Standing for a Long Period of Time

To Identify What Might be Causing Your Back Pain, Ask Yourself These Questions:

1. Onset (O)– When your back pain first occurred, what were you doing?  How long have you had your back pain? Reflecting on these questions might trigger your memory to a certain day or action that might have caused the injury.
2. Progression (P) – How quickly did your back pain progress?  Was it gradual or an immediate pain?  Immediate pain often results after a trauma to your back.  Sudden movements, twisting actions and lifting extremely heavy objects are examples of abnormal motion.  Back Injuries from abnormal motion can cause long-term damage if you fail to receive the correct treatment for back pain.
3. Quality (Q) – What does it feel like? Is your back pain sharp?  Is it dull? Dull pain is often chronic, or occurring more than once.  Sharp pain that shoots down your buttocks and down the back of your legs is called sciatica.  It’s a common symptom of a herniated disc.  However, sharp pain can also indicate a possible bone fracture.  That’s why it’s important to receive an examination by a professional doctor to help  you determine the best treatment for back pain.
4. Radiation (R) – When your back pain occurs, does it radiate in a certain direction?  Radiating pain is also called shooting pain; it’s a sudden, severe pain that moves through the body.  i.e. Down into your calf, through your shoulder or down into your hip? Radiating pain is a sign that a nerve along the spinal column is under pressure, being pinched or inflamed.
5. Severity (S) –  On a scale of one to ten, how much does your back pain hurt and how is it affecting your quality of life?  For example, a 1 might mean that it hurts so badly that you can’t get out of bed while a 10 means you aren’t experiencing any pain at all.  Your chiropractor will ask you this number throughout your course of treatment for back pain to make sure you’re improving.
6. Timing (T) – When does it hurt the most?  Is it first thing in the morning, during the night, after you’ve been sitting for awhile, etc?  Identifying when your back pain hurts the most can give you an idea of the activities that may be causing it.

Your answers to these questions will give you a better picture of what might be triggering or causing your back pain and what actions are making it worse.

What’s The Best Treatment for Back Pain?

Most back pain is caused by pinched or damaged nerves.  When the nerves that exit the spinal column become pinched or irritated they send signals to the brain that often result in pain.

Some forms of treatment for back pain are less invasive than others.  We’ll examine three of the most common, and we’ll go from the most conservative treatment to the most risky.

Treatment for Back Pain Through Chiropractic

Chiropractic treatment is the  most common, most-conservative and least-invasive form of treatment for back pain.  Yet, it is very effective in helping millions of Kansas City patients to experience back pain relief each year.

Chiropractic treatment for back pain relief involves an exam and X-rays to determine the cause of you pain.  This is followed by a series of chiropractic adjustments and physiotherapy.  This treatment restores motion to joints in the spine that are locked up or fixated, relieving the pressure on the nerves and reducing swelling.

Patients who seek chiropractic treatment for back pain relief often experience immediate relief after just one or two chiropractic adjustments.

Chiropractors then provide patients with exercises and back pain tips to help them heal more quickly and prevent future back pain.

Treatment for Back Pain Through Injections

Back injections use a steroid and a numbing medicine to bring temporary back pain relief.  There are several kinds of injections available:

• Epidural (around the spinal cord)
• Nerve Block
• Discography

Injections are not a long-term solution, but they can help help doctors to diagnose the cause of back pain.

As with any injections side effects can include: pain at the site after an injection, headache, nausea, vomiting, and infection.

Treatment for Back Pain with Surgery

Back surgery should always be a last resort.  Any type of surgery puts the patient at risk.

In a recent study, of patients who saw a surgeon first for back pain, 43% o them underwent surgery.  Of patients who saw a chiropractor first, only 2% underwent surgery.

If you can find relief from your back pain symptoms with a less invasive treatment option, always try that treatment method first.