HOW IS BACK PAIN TREATED?

Friday, March 27, 2009 5:38

Posted in category Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction

If your back pain is the result of a tumor in the spine, you will no doubt require surgery, special drugs, or radiation therapy, alone or in combination. Illnesses such as Paget’s disease are treated with medications that decrease the metabolic activity within the bones and relieve the pain. A sudden compression fracture usually causes severe pain, which subsides on its own within a few days of bed rest, applied heat, and pain medications.

If your back pain is not attributable to any of the preceding diseases, your physician will probably conclude that the pain is the result of a derangement of your vertebral column and its joints and ligaments. This may become increasingly severe as you grow older.

Treatment will be successful only if you cooperate with your physician and follow the principles that will improve the mechanics of your vertebral column and retrain the muscles controlling it. Many medical clinics are specifically organized for the care of back pain. Your physician may refer you to one of these clinics or may recommend and outline a course of treatment. Many books on back care are available. Make sure that the book comes from a recognized expert on back conditions, and discuss the recommendations with your doctor.

The first step of treatment is to lose weight so that there is less strain on your backbone. If your pain is severe, you may require a period of complete bed rest in order to relax the muscle spasms that occur in response to back pain. Muscle relaxants and analgesics are often used during this period. Heat directly applied to your back may be helpful. Quite frequently, traction done in a hospital or a physical therapy clinic is employed. Traction gently pulls on the upper and lower parts of your spine and may relieve muscle spasm.

The real solution to solving low back pain is to learn how to change your posture and the way you lie, lift, bend, sit, and walk. You can learn various exercises that strengthen the muscles supporting your abdomen and back. It is important that you bend at the knees, rather than with your back, when you lift something. You may have to change the way you carry packages and shopping bags. You can ask store clerks to pack your items in more bags than usual so that each bag weighs less and is more easily lifted. Try to lift them with your arms, rather than with your back, to avoid strain. Sudden twisting motions should be avoided. It is usually worthwhile to sleep on a firm mattress. When you experience pain or discomfort in bed, raise your legs slightly on a few pillows or bend your knees when you are lying flat on your back. It is often more comfortable to lie on your side with your legs slightly bent and your back curled.

Exercises can improve your muscle tone. Once your symptoms improve, you could take up swimming, which strengthens your muscles and relieves the tension on your vertebral column. Sometimes a specially designed corset may be of value, not only in relieving pain, but to prevent you from bending your back in ways that will aggravate your pain and discomfort. Special back supports for your car and chairs may also be helpful. These can be brought with you when you travel so that you can maintain your posture in a comfortable position when you fly, go on a bus or train, or drive.

Sometimes the pressure on the nerves is so great that you may experience pain similar to intermittent claudication (see chapter 9) when you walk, and weakness and progressive disability in your legs may occur. Such circumstances usually require a myelogram, and CAT or MR1 scans to determine whether your spinal canal has narrowed (spinal stenosis). If your symptoms become more pronounced or if you develop problems with your bladder and bowel, surgery may be necessary to relieve the pressure. In most instances the surgery is effective and successful and will result in an improvement in your symptoms. Surgery on the back should be avoided for back pain only; surgery usually is reserved for those cases where there is damaging pressure on nerves.

Some older women with serious osteoporosis suffer from frequent compression fractures. They often have severe back pain and may get little relief from rest and exercise alone. Some physicians prescribe vitamin D and calcium supplements in these circumstances. Not everyone gains relief, but it is sometimes worth a try. Your physician will check for signs of excess calcium accumulation as an unwanted side effect after this treatment has begun. Cyclical hormone therapy as well as calcium supplementation may prevent osteoporosis if started at the time of menopause. Other forms of therapy are available through special osteoporosis clinics, once the condition is evident. Special tests can determine whether osteoporosis exists, even when there are no symptoms.

In many instances a carefully followed program of weight reduction, changes in posture and movements, and a well-designed exercise program can relieve your pain and allow you to return to normal physical activities in comfort. Rarely is surgery necessary. It should be considered only after a more conservative approach has been tried, unless there is severe pressure on nerves. Then surgery may be necessary to avoid permanent damage to nerves, which can lead to irreversible weakness or urinary or bowel incontinence.