People suffering from back and spine problems push on in a world that doesn’t slow down for them. Receiving the right spine care could get you to a place where you’re living in the world and not just getting through the day. There are numerous treatment options available today to help you find relief.
Non-Invasive Therapy
You might be leery of having surgery on your back, especially if you’ve done it in the past with little to show for it. Many clinics offer treatment plans designed to improve the strength of your spine and improve your overall mobility.
Spine Therapy
You should receive your treatments from a therapist trained to work with back issues. They’ll understand how to get your muscles and tissues to move in a way that relieves your symptoms. Some of the spine care techniques they might utilize include:
Non-Active Therapy – Here the therapist applies heat or cold packs to the affected areas. Ultrasounds are also utilized along with electrical stimulation.
Active Therapy – This involves taking you through a series of exercises designed to relieve pressure where you’re feeling the most discomfort. Massage is also used to loosen up the muscles and tissues of your spine.
Medication
Your physician will likely recommend that you try OTC remedies like Advil or Aleve. These NSAIDs help with both pain and inflammation.
For more severe discomfort associated with conditions like spinal stenosis, your doctor might recommend you receive spinal injections. This should only be done under the care of a trained pain management specialist.
The injections are delivered directly into the epidural space in your spine that’s closest to the source of your pain. The relief can be permanent or last only a few weeks or months. The injections do carry possible side effects like weight gain, sleeping issues, stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure.
Surgical Options
If you’re unable to find relief from non-invasive therapy, your doctor may recommend that you consider some sort of surgery option.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Those with a specific back diagnosis like spinal stenosis or a herniated disc are usually candidates for this option. Smaller cuts are made than those used with traditional back surgery. This causes less damage and makes for a shorter recovery time for the patient after the procedure.
Common MISS Procedures:
- Decompression
- Discectomy
- MIS TLIF (Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion)
Traditional Surgery
Patients who aren’t candidates for traditional surgery might have their doctor recommend a traditional laminectomy and spine fusion. This involves removing pieces of the spine and vertebrae and requires a longer recovery period.
Make sure you understand all of your options before deciding on a spine care treatment path.