Perhaps you have been searching for back pain solutions for some time now and none have worked totally, or even partially.
Even a temporary respite is better than being constantly in pain.
If you can’t sleep because of pain along your back, you become irritable and your nearest and dearest suffer along with you. You may be considering a laminectomy or a discectomy right now, on your doctor’s advice. However, there are back pain solutions that do not involve surgery that really do work. If anything, surgical procedures can oftentimes create more problems than they solve, but they are not to be completely ruled out.
First of all, you should be well informed about the surgical procedures offered by your doctor. If your lower back causes you problems on a fairly regular basis, you may be considering surgical options, especially if you have tried a variety of less intrusive options.
There are two main types of surgery which are supposed to treat back pain solutions. Namely, they are laminectomy and discectomy.
What is a laminectomy?
A laminectomy is an operation that removes the back part of one or more vertebrae in your spine (lamina), which covers the spinal canal. It is sometimes called a decompression operation. This is because the spinal canal is made larger so that pressure on the spinal cord and nerves is lowered. The pressure is usually cause by overgrowth of bony tissue in the spinal canal. These are common in arthritis sufferers.
What is a discectomy?
A lumbar discectomy is an operation which patients with a low back (lumbar) herniated disc have so that whatever material which presses the spinal cord, or a nerve root, can be surgically removed.
The lamina from the vertebra is usually removed in order for the surgeon to have a clearer view of the disc.
Do these operations work?
According to our patients, the answer to this question is a resounding ’NO’.
Many people who have either rushed to make a decision on this matter, or were at a point where they didn’t see another way out have ended up with a temporary pain relief post-procedure, only for the symptoms to return after a while. In other words, all the sacrifices required for such procedures seemed to be in vain, as the results were not positive.
What can you do to fix back pain then?
Before considering any treatment options, analyse the degree of severity of your pain, as well as any other symptoms that may come along with it and ensure that you have tried out all the non-surgical options that are available out there to ease back pain.
You can consider employing one or more of the following solutions at the same time to effectively deal with pain along the back, neck, hip, or even limbs.
That being said, some pain management and treatment options to consider instead include a combination of lifestyle changes, home remedies and alternative therapies, such as:
- Keeping active.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Physical therapy.
- Using a heating pad.
- Using an ice pack.
- Ensuring you have ergonomic back support while sitting down to avoid low back pain
- Investing in a good pair of shoes to reduce the shock sent to your spine while walking, running, or moving around in general.
- Investing in a good, firm mattress that supports your back properly while you sleep.
- Adjusting your sleeping position to reduce strain on your back while you rest.
- Using proper lifting techniques when handling heavy weights (either as part of your work or at the gym).
- Wearing a lumbar support belt for lower back pain relief and support of the lower spine.
- Practicing relaxation techniques. Emotional stress can tense up the back muscles, especially around the neck, and in many people this can lead to pain in this region.
- Temporarily use pain relievers or pain medicine to reduce inflammatory back pain.
- Decompressing your spine with the help of a special orthopaedic spinal decompression device called the Backrack. It is highly effective even on chronic back pain cases.
