Back pain can be debilitating. More than 31 million Americans suffer from it, according to wholeliving.com. Back pain can have various causes, including a slipped disc, muscle strain, or a spasm. Whatever the reason, there are various treatment options your physician can help you choose to help ease your back pain.

Medications

Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or a muscle relaxer that your doctor has prescribed can alleviate back pain that does not respond to over-the-counter pain relievers. Under close supervision of your physician, some narcotics or antidepressants may be used to relieve back pain.

Physical Therapy and Exercise

Completing an exercise and therapy regimen, such as heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and muscle-release techniques, to the painful areas can help ease the pain. During therapy, the physical therapist might teach you flexibility and strength exercises and ways to improve your posture. All of these techniques can help with back pain and prevent it from returning.

Injections

Injections of cortisone--an anti-inflammatory medication--around the spinal cord area can be done if other means do not work. These injections reduce inflammation around the nerve roots, but the pain relief is limited to about six weeks. Injections of Botox can be administered near the strained muscles by freezing them and numbing the pain. These injections only last about four months.

Surgery

Surgery is usually the last resort for back pain. There are no known surgical techniques for muscle and tissue related pain. Surgery is usually effective for back pain in the case of a herniated disk or nerve compression. Fusion is a type of back surgery where the two vertebrae are fused together to reduce pain. Disk replacement involves implanting an artificial disk. You doctor might partially remove a disk if it is pressing on a nerve. Another surgical option is partially removing a vertebra if the spine has growths that are pinching a spinal cord or nerve. The doctor can just remove the section that is causing the problem.

Prevention

Regular exercise of light aerobics such as walking or swimming can help prevent back pain or keep it from returning. Exercises that increase abdominal and back muscle strength can help eliminate back pain. Maintaining a healthy body weight alleviates the strain that is placed on your back muscles if you are overweight. Sit and stand straight and use a chair that supports your back. When you lift, keep your back straight and only bend at the knees.

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Ease back pain

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