Most people have had back pain at some point in their lives. It is one of the leading reasons for missed work days in the US. The good news is most of the time back pain does get better with conservative therapy. Here are some non-surgical treatments for back pain.
Oral Medications: The medications that may be helpful include muscle relaxants to reduce back spasms, anti-inflammatory medications to lower swelling and inflammation, and analgesics to help relieve pain.
Improving Posture: Bad posture is one of the biggest contributors to back pain. Making a point to pull your shoulders back, avoiding hunching when sitting, standing or walking, and ensuring you have ergonomic furniture can significantly improve mechanical back pain.
Physical Therapy: It includes passive modalities such as application of cold/hot packs, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units, and ultrasound therapy as well as active modalities stretches to improve range of motion and strengthening exercises for better function.
Spinal Injections: For pain that is not alleviated with oral medications, activity modification, or physical therapy; injection therapy may be a non-surgical treatment option. This includes trigger point injections to hypersensitive points on the back, epidural steroid injections that stimulate healing of injured tissues, or spinal nerve blocks and radiofrequency ablation to identify and relieve nerve-related back pain.
The Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine offers advanced, cutting edge non-surgical and surgical treatments as well as advanced physical therapy services to treat back pain. Contact us today to discuss your options.
Dr. Ramesh Chandra has been practicing orthopedic surgery in the Washington DC Metropolitan area since 1984. The Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is easily accessed from anywhere in the Washington DC metropolitan area with offices located in Falls Church, Reston/Herndon and Tysons Corner. For all appointments and inquiries, please call 703 848-0800 or click here to request an appointment online.
