If you live with lower back pain that has lasted for three or more months, you feel like there’s no end in sight. It can be exhausting and discouraging to face each day with discomfort and pain, but don’t lose hope! Although chronic pain isn’t going to disappear overnight, there are treatment options that can help ease your lower back and improve your quality of life.
Heat and Ice
These may seem like trivial options if you’re dealing with pain that is severe and/or long-lasting, but ice packs and heat treatments are not just for short-term injuries. If you iced or heated on your back when it first started hurting but stopped when it didn’t get better right away, you want to reconsider.
Both ice and heat can relieve pain by reducing inflammation and relaxing muscle spasms. You can alternate between the two depending on which makes you feel more comfortable. The best part is, unlike many medications, there’s no limit to how often you can use them.
Opiates and Muscle Relaxers
Both of these treatment options will require you to work with a medical professional to obtain prescriptions and use them safely. Although pills alone can’t heal your back, your doctor may choose to prescribe you opiates or muscle relaxers for short-term relief of relentless and severe pain.
Laser Therapy
Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) is a relatively new treatment that uses low-level lasers to stimulate cellular function, as well as encourage the production and release of certain endorphins. Laser therapy works to both treat your condition and relieve your pain by reducing inflammation and stimulating your healing processes, which helps you feel much better. LILT can be performed in some chiropractors’ offices.
Active Release Technique
Active Release Technique (ART) aims to treat pain caused by scar tissue and adhesions that have formed in overused muscles and trapped nerves or blood vessels. Adhesions and scar tissue can limit the motion and function of your body, and trapped nerves and blood vessels can cause intense pain.
As with laser therapy, ART is a relatively new treatment. Your chiropractor will use his/her hands to assess your soft tissues in the affected area, and then utilize specialized massage techniques to treat any problems.
Living with chronic pain can be intensely frustrating, but you don’t have to suffer forever. Call Alberta Neck and Back Rehab and Sports Injury Clinic today and set up an appointment to get you on the road to a pain-free life.