Dealing With Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is very well known condition with about 18 percent of people having said they have had some type of lower back pain within the past 30 days. Symptoms can go from fully incapacitating you to causing you just a little bit of trouble. Also it is one of the well known reasons why patients wind up seeing their doctor.
It is unfortunat that there is so much false information about what a good lower back pain remedy is. When you experience a bout of back pain, you should seek care from your physician to verify that it is musculoskeletal and to rule out underlying pathology. You will be able to find relief for your symptoms as soon as you eliminate this cause.
It is encouraging to learn that between 30 to 60 percent of the people who have pain in their lower back will heal in approximately one week. A large amount of people, around 95 percent, will heal in about three months. Although it is possible you may completely recover, prior to the recovery taking place, lower back pain can be a big inconvenience.
Here’s is a study that will show what is known to work and not work in regards to treatment for lower back pain:
(1) Ibuprofen is a group of medications that are known as non steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). Medical studies have provided a substantial amount of evidence that this group of medications is known for helping to control back pain in great ways. However, these medicines produce side effects and you shouldn’t use them if you have experienced a peptic ulcer or have ever bled from your digestive system in the past. You shouldn’t take them if you have had kidney disease in the past.
(2) In a number of studies Tylenol or acetaminophen has been proven to work well when dealing with lower back pain. It is not certain if this medicine is as good as Ibuprofen, but it does help and you could use it if you can’t use Ibuprofen. Tylenol should not be taken if you previously experienced liver disease.
(3) Muscle relaxants: Various medical studies have demonstrated that this classification of medicines is incredibly efficacious in easing the muscle spasms that often accompany lower back pain, provided that they are used within the first few weeks of manifestation of trouble. You will need a prescription from your doctor for this class of medications; this is because these medications have been known to become addictive in a small amount of people. You should avoid operating machinery or a vehicle because their use can result in lightheadedness, dizziness and drowsiness.
(4) Applications of Heat: Placing moist heat on the areas that are affected have been shown to work really well in reducing the symptoms of lower back pain. You can place a hot water bottle or a moist heat pack to the affected area a number of times a day and you should see good results.
(5) Cold Applications. Cold packs do not work as well as heat packs to relieve pain in the lower back. It is a good idea to stay away from this type of therapy.
(6) Exercise. This one may possible surprise you. An exercise program that is well structured or an exercise that is specifically designed for lower back pain did not prove to work for decreasing symptoms, no matter what kind of exercise was performed or that amount of time in between. Benefits were noticed, however, when people were active instead of resting in bed. Usually patients who participated in activities while having lower back pain healed faster than the patients who stayed in bed and rested.
(7) Possible alternatives. A number of different therapies have been studied for their strength in decreasing lower back pain. There is not enough evidence to prove that either acupuncture or massage will relieve the symptoms of lower back pain. One experiment revealed that people who used acupuncture took less medicine for their pain. These treatments need more study so I would advise you steer clear of them until then.
What options exist to rid yourself of lower back pain relief?
Once your doctor has cleared your condition, I would advise you to take Ibuprofen or Tylenol if your are able to handle them and have no underlying medical condition that goes against their use. You may speak with your doctor and ask that he provide you with night time muscle relaxers. Stay mobile and subject the affected area to heat treatment throughout the day. If your pain continues after a month or if you notice you are getting more symptoms, go back to the doctor for another check-up.