Most people think surgery is the last resort—but what if there are effective treatments you haven’t even heard about?
Here are 6 options to help manage your back pain – any one of these could change the way you think about your treatment options.
1. Reduce the pressure on your lower back with bracing
An easy treatment to try is wearing a low back brace.
Bracing doesn’t help everyone, but there are several low back conditions that doctors tend to prescribe bracing for as part of a more comprehensive treatment approach.
2. Minimize the everyday stresses that cause your spine to degenerate
The Alexander Technique focuses on building better use of muscles during everyday activities, how to sit up straight, and improve balance and coordination.
Research shows that The Alexander Technique combined with other medical treatments for back pain works better than medical treatments alone.
3. Support your back with regular physical therapy and exercise
It sounds overly basic, but physical exercise and rehabilitation is the tried-and-true treatment for many types of back pain.
In a recent discussion with a physiatrist who specializes in pain management, he told me “Would you please walk out into the waiting room and tell everyone that at least half of them would get better with regular PT and exercise, no surgery or injections needed!”
Don’t miss out on the benefits of a controlled, progressive rehabilitation program for your back. It’s a lot of work but you should notice your back pain decrease.
4. If you’ve in a lot of pain, start in the pool
Water provides buoyancy, holding up your body so there is less impact on your spine while exercising. And warm water is soothing for your joints and spine. This guided exercise done in a warm pool is called aquatic therapy or water therapy.
You may find water therapy particularly helpful if you have joint pain from osteoarthritis.
If getting into a pool is not your thing, consider starting with another exercise that is minimally stressful on your spine – such as biking or stationary biking and using an elliptical trainer.
5. Don’t underestimate the positive effect of daily walking
Your spine is designed to move, and walking is an easy and readily available way to move throughout the day.
If you’re new to exercise, you can start by walking as little as 5 minutes at a time 3 or 4 times a day and gradually work up to about 45 minutes 4 or 5 times a week.
Be sure to learn about the correct walking stride and posture to minimize impact on your spine.
6. If you’ve tried everything, there’s an option to interrupt the pain signals
OK, this option does involve surgery to implant the device, but sometimes the pain just won’t stop and an electrical implant that can interrupt the pain signals might be a good option.
Spinal cord stimulators are small devices implanted under the skin in the low back that use electrical impulses to stop pain signals from reaching the brain.
Bonus Tip:
Don’t miss out on the healing benefits of applying ice or cold packs – they help reduce inflammation and desensitize sore tissues, acting as an anesthetic for the painful area.
Final Thoughts
By increasing your understanding of the many non-surgical treatments available for back pain - including ones that your doctor or physical therapist may not have mentioned -- you may find one that really makes a difference for you.
If non-surgical options fail to give you sufficient pain relief make sure to see a spine specialist. A spine specialist can help make the correct diagnosis and then if surgery if appropriate, refer you to the right surgeon at the right time for the right type of surgery.
