Pain Management for Chronic Back Pain

Back pain may occur due to various reasons. Chronic back pain is the one that remains for 12 weeks or more than that even after the cause of the pain has been treated. There are several ways of treating chronic back pain. Its treatment depends upon the nature of injury or the actual underlying cause of the pain.

The treatment for back pain has been listed below:

1. Short-term methods: Initially, people use short-term remedies for tackling back pain. Over-the-counter painkillers and home remedies are used to cure the patient. This might show useful results within six weeks.
2. Continue movement: Although traditionally, patients with back pain were advised to take complete bed rest. However, doctors today are of the opinion that patients should not take complete bed rest. The patient should try to move around a bit. It may be hurting first, but slowly it will heal the pain. One can take up brisk walking for best results.
3. Painkillers: Patients are first prescribed to take paracetamol. However, some people take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen for faster relief. There are stronger painkillers like codeine. But one must keep in mind that painkillers are not good for health. They have side effects. Long-term use of painkillers can cause damage to the kidneys. If these are not effective, the doctor might switch to muscle relaxant like diazepam.
4. Hot and cold compress: Patients are advised to take hot or cold compress to get relief. A hot bath or compress with hot water can be useful. Otherwise, using ice pack can also produce effective results. Often, alternate hot and cold compress are advised to get rid of the pain.
5. Change your sleeping style: The pain can be reduced to a great extent by changing one's sleeping pattern. Use pillows to change the sleep pattern.
6. Exercise: The patient might have developed back pain due to faulty posture or obesity. In order to get rid of the pain, one must address these issues first. Shred the extra pounds b exercising the correct way to get cured of the pain.
7. Acupuncture: It is a kind of treatment in which fine needles are put at different points of the body. This helps in reducing the pain.
8. Oil massage: There are various kinds of massage techniques available. These improve the circulation of blood. This in turn, rejuvenates the muscles and bones by providing sufficient oxygen supply.
9. Antidepressants: These are prescribed when painkillers don't show effective results. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), such as amitriptyline are given to the patient. However, these are given in small doses.
10. Stay calm and positive: It is important to have a positive frame of mind to get rid of the pain. One has to be patient and not lose hope while the treatment is on. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a pain management specialist.

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