Pain Relief Rehab

Archive for August, 2010

Many people experience back pain at a certain time in their lives and it is a cause for trouble. The pain can be felt in the lower part or upper part of the back. Usually, this back pain is not a medical condition in itself but rather a symptom of another medical condition that can be devastating if not treated.

There are a number of elements that cause back pain and a common cause is difficulties in the way the spinal cord experiences movement. The conditions that can cause complications in spinal movement include tension in the back muscles, degeneration of disks, herniated and bulging disks. The pain can also be the result of injury in the back and the pain can last for long or just for a short while.

There are a number of effective methods for treating back pain and they include self-care techniques, medications and manual therapies like physiotherapy. A common medicine prescribed to treat back pain is paracetamol. If it does not work, inflammatory medications like ibuprofen are used. If these do not work mild opiate-based pain relievers like codeine are utilized. If the back pain is severe, a strong opiate such as morphine is used but only for a short period.

If you experience back pain in addition to muscle spasms, you can use a muscle relaxant together with pain medication.  Another product used to treat back pain effectively is ice. For example, you can place crushed ice cubes that are wrapped in a towel on your back to reduce the inflammation. Ice makes the blood vessels in the area constrict and this reduces the flow of blood, which reduces swelling. After using ice, you should wait for 48 hours or more and then apply heat to the area of the back affected by pain in order to increase healing.

Another method of treating back pain is through massage. It relaxes the muscles and relieves back pain in the process. Anyone can effectively perform a massage on your back but you can consider using a trained massager to give you a soothing massage. You can also treat back pain by using extra pillows when you sleep. Place one between or under your knees as you sleep. Another effective method of treating back pain is exercise because it helps in mobilization and manipulation of the back muscles and spine.

The recommended exercises for treating back pain include swimming and gentle forms of exercise like pilates and yoga. These exercises are beneficial in that they also help improve posture. Other forms of back pain treatment include chiropractic and osteopathy, which focus on the problems in the structure of the bones, muscles, joints and the nervous system.

Acupuncture is also used to treat back pain and it is a method based on Chinese medicine that uses fine, thin needles placed on different parts of your body in order to unlock the energy channels of the body. According to some Western experts, the needles used in acupuncture stimulate nerves and muscles and this is the reason why acupuncture relieves pain in the body. Another effective method of treating back pain is spinal fusion surgery, but it is only recommended when all other methods have been tried without success.

One of nerves in the human body is the sciatic nerve, which is the longest and largest. When you experience sciatic nerve pain, you will usually feel it starting from the lower part of the back all through to the lower leg behind the knee. This pain is also known as sciatica and it is usually caused by herniated disks. Such a disk causes pain when it presses directly on this nerve causing irritation or inflammation. Other reasons for this kind of pain are injuries, tumors and problems in the muscles or bones.

Often, pain in the sciatic nerve feels like a painful burning sensation, numbness or tingling from the lower back. This pain can make it hard for you to walk. There are a number of ways in which you can relieve sciatic pain. One of them is by using a heating pad whereby you lie on it. You can also use pain and anti-inflammatory medications in addition to muscle relaxers. Anesthetics are also used for the treatment of sciatic nerve pain and they are usually injected into the actual site where you are feeling pain.

You can also treat sciatic nerve pain through exercise and physical therapy, which help develop core muscles. The exercises known to relieve sciatic pain that results from herniated disks are press ups and back extensions. Bending exercises relieve the pain caused by spinal stenosis. All exercises that enable you to bend down and flex your lower spine will help you recover from this type of pain. You can also relieve this discomfort by exercises that work on the lumbar, spine and pelvic areas.

Stretching is also important when it comes to treating sciatica. You should stretch at least once each day because doing this will keep your muscles loose and away from your sciatic nerve. However, you should not stretch when you are feeling pain. When treating sciatic pain, diet is also important. You should not eat foods that are likely to make you feel more painful and an example is foods that are highly acidic. These kinds of foods leave a residue in the body that builds around the muscles and nerves. This acidic build up can accumulate on the sciatic nerve causing flares and intense pain.

You should also avoid eating foods that promote inflammation in the nerves. These include meat, shellfish and dairy among others. Foods that are anti-inflammatory include vegetables and fruits and they are very important to take when suffering from sciatic nerve pain.  You can also treat this pain effectively by taking certain supplements such as magnesium and bromelain. These supplements are beneficial in that they help in loosening your muscles and keeping them from getting irritated.

You should ensure that you do not skip your supplements even if you feel that the pain is gone. Keeping magnesium and bromelain in your system will prevent flare. Certain herbs also work very well when it comes to treating sciatic nerve pain. These herbs include rosemary, tulsi, boswellia and turmeric. According to studies, these herbs decrease inflammation greatly and boswellia has been proven to be highly helpful for arthritic patients. The other herb that works to relieve sciatic nerve pain is ginger. You can use it in your tea or boil it.

You can also treat sciatica by applying ice to the area where you are feeling pain. You should use the ice for twenty minutes only and it will decrease the inflammation on the nerve decreasing pain in the process. Even though it is a temporary solution, it offers pain relief. The other option of treating sciatic nerve pain if these methods are unsuccessful is surgery.