Oh, My Aching Back! What Can I Do to Relieve the Pain?

Your body takes a lot of wear-and-tear over the years, with your back being at the center of it all. When you have constant discomfort in your back, it makes doing even the smallest activities seem impossible. But certain home therapies can help you ease your back pain.

At Integrated Body and Medicine, we help you when you just can’t seem to get your back pain under control. Our team is made up of medical specialists who have the tools and experience to form a personalized treatment plan for your specific pain.

What causes back pain?

Back pain is something that you’ll likely experience at some point in your life. Whether it pops up after moving furniture or seems to come out of nowhere, this type of pain is very common. 

Your back and spine help you stand up straight and protect your spinal cord from injury and damage. For this reason, your back takes on a lot of pressure and wear-and-tear.

Pain in any part of your back may be acute or chronic, and be from degenerative conditions or an injury. There are many causes of back discomfort, including:

• Sprains or strains
• Spinal fractures
• Bad posture
• Spinal stenosis
• Arthritis
• Scoliosis
• Sciatica
• Disc herniation

These issues may come on suddenly or get worse over time. Either way, the pain can be unbearable and lead to severe disability in some cases. But you don’t have to live with the discomfort.

Conservative treatments that help

If your pain isn’t the result of severe trauma, you might be able to get it under control on your own. Rest for a day or two and take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications to help control your pain.

Ice and heat therapy are also helpful. Ice typically is better in the first few days to ease inflammation, while heat works better after this to relax your muscles.

Light stretching and movement may also help to loosen up your muscles and ligaments to provide some relief. You don’t want to rest too long, as this may actually worsen your symptoms.

Massage, yoga, and physical therapy are also options to help you get your pain under control if simply resting doesn’t help. We provide you with detailed options that can work for you to relieve discomfort in your spine.

When to seek help for back pain

Unfortunately, conservative home therapies aren’t always enough to get rid of back pain. If you’ve tried them without significant relief, it may be time to get professional help.

Back pain due to minor issues usually goes away on its own after a few days to a week. If your pain lingers past a week and is affecting your daily activities, seek medical treatment.

At your appointment, we ask you about your symptoms and perform a detailed exam of your back. This allows us to form a diagnosis and make a customized treatment plan to get your pain under control.

Simply making a few lifestyle adjustments can be extremely beneficial when it comes to your back. This may include losing weight, eating healthier, and incorporating daily physical activity into your routine.

If these measures still aren’t enough, we may recommend spinal adjustments, physical therapy, and corticosteroid injections to control the pain.

When you’re tired of dealing with chronic back pain, call our office in the greater Highland and Hammond, Indiana, area to schedule a consultation with our specialists today. You can also request an appointment using our handy online booking tool.