Non Surgical Back Pain Treatment Options

Patients labor under the misconception that surgery is the only solution for back pain, when in many cases the condition can be managed without the need for surgical intervention, particularly when diagnosis and treatment are sought out at the onset of symptoms. 

Link to blog article: https://texasback.com/spine-health-tip-how-to-deal-with-acute-and-chronic-back-pain/.

Timely conservative care interventions may reduce the likelihood of surgery.

Non surgical treatment options

These are considered the gold standard of conservative care:

Physical Therapy:

• Physical Therapy (PT) can help patients with back pain and other spinal problems by improving their flexibility, reducing pain, and building and strengthening supporting muscles. A physical therapist will design a program to specifically target and address the problems based on the individual capabilities.

Pain Management:

• A pain management specialist will develop a therapy plan that will help patients to reduce, relieve, and manage pain so that they can return to their everyday activities. Cervical and lumber epidural steroid injections are frequently prescribed as part of a nonsurgical back pain treatment plan. Injections like selective nerve root block and facet joint injections can provide targeted pain-blocking results specific to the location of the problem.

Medication & Muscle relaxants:

• Medications are frequently part of each treatment regimen for acute and chronic pain and may be combined with physical therapy and/or chiropractic care. Your physician may prescribe one or more types of medications to treat a variety of conditions including acute pain, chronic pain, herniated disc, disc degeneration, whiplash, facet and sacroiliac joint pain, stenosis, and spondylolisthesis. 
• Muscle relaxants are medications that help alleviate muscle spasms and tightness by acting as depressants of the central nervous system. They are effective for managing acute pain but do not play a role in chronic pain treatment. Muscle relaxants should be considered as part of a broader pharmacologic approach to pain management.

Chiropractic Care:

• According to the NIH, spinal manipulation is a technique wherein practitioners use their hands or a device to apply a controlled thrust to a joint of the spine. The amount of force can vary, but the thrust moves the joint more than it would on its own. Spinal manipulation is one nonsurgical approach that can be used to treat low-back pain. It may lead to improvement in pain reduction and functionality. Functionality refers to how low-back pain affects aspects of people’s lives, like walking, standing, sleeping, job performance, and completion of household tasks.

Soft Tissue Mobilization:

• Soft Tissue Mobilization, or STM, is a manual therapy treatment where the PT applies a variety of pressures and stretches to the muscles and fascia. STM primarily targets the weblike fascia layer, aiming to ease pain and improve muscle force generation.

Massage Therapy:

• Massage therapy is a widely recognized treatment for lower back pain. It can effectively alleviate muscle spasms, which are common symptoms associated with lower back pain and can significantly hinder daily activities and overall quality of life. Massage therapy helps improve blood circulation, reduce muscle tension, and promote relaxation.

Psychological Support:

• According to the American Psychological Association, chronic pain is complex. “People often think of pain as a purely physical sensation. However, pain has biological, psychological, and emotional factors. Furthermore, chronic pain can cause feelings such as anger, hopelessness, sadness, and anxiety. To treat pain effectively, you must address the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects.”  Patients dealing with chronic pain may have treatment plans that include relaxation techniques, changing old beliefs about pain, building new coping skills, and addressing any underlying anxiety or depression that may accompany the pain. In addition, support is provided for making lifestyle changes that will impact and improve the condition, like weight loss or smoking cessation.