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Back Pain Cure
Unfortunately for the millions of people that experience lower back pain each year, a back pain cure does not often come in the form the most commonly prescribed treatments — medication and/or surgery. In truth, there is no quick fix for the vast majority of back pain cases. The only real back pain cure is one that relieves pain, improves function, and protects the back against further mechanical injury. While it does not work overnight, a directed course of therapeutic exercises is the closest thing we have to a back pain cure.
Reducing pain
Despite being the most common cause of disability and the second most common reason to seek medical advice, low back pain is an elusive foe. Scientific clinical studies regarding back pain fill the medical journals but few recommendations are conclusive and are applicable to every person with this condition. We do know that low back pain is caused by abnormalities in musculoskeletal positioning and by inflammation. Therefore in order to cure back pain, one must make right the things that are wrong. Fortunately, these to causes of low back pain are intimately related-if you correct one, you also tend to improve the other.
Getting things back in line
If you must rest after an acute back injury or re-injury, do so for no more than two days. Studies have shown that resting for longer periods tends to promote weakness in the back and a sense of helplessness and disability, psychologically. It is better to get to work on correcting the muscular, skeletal, and joint problems that are causing the pain. While it is important to rule out serious causes of low back pain (e.g. cauda equina syndrome, vertebral fracture, etc.) the mechanical and non-specific causes will respond to carefully prescribed course of exercise. Remember that exercise is not always running or aerobics. In the case of back pain, exercise begins with some simple stretching.
Building up strength
After improving the range of motion and lengthening muscles that may be in "spasms" and tight, the next phase of the back pain cure is strengthening those muscles. It is muscle weakness and instability that most often leads to low back injury. Even in athletes and laborers who are quite strong, injure their backs when attempting to exceed the capacity of their musculoskeletal systems. Therefore strengthening the muscles of the back is an integral part of a back pain cure; many believe that it works to reduce the risk of repeat back strain or sprain.
Putting it in neutral
If you do not hold your arm properly during weighted triceps extensions, the muscle is strained and elbow faces harmful pressures. In the same way, the muscles and joints of the back can be stressed through "improper movements." What are improper back movements? Physical therapists explain these movements during their sessions. In essence, the patient is taught how to perform various movements involving the trunk. The back muscles are kept in a neutral position even when the body as a whole is moving in jarring or unpredictable ways. This is especially important for athletes that want to return to their chosen sport. When these postures are learned and practiced, they can reduce the risk of further injury and also potentially improve play in the respective sports.
Surgery is not the back pain cure
The true back pain cure combines input from a number of medical professionals including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and sports medicine physicians (they are not just for athletes!). Any true back pain cure must eliminate pain, reduce inflammation, and gird the back against future injury. Often, this professional team does not include surgeons. Unless the back pain is caused by a specific, serious condition-the vast majority of back pain cases are not-an orthopedic or spine surgeon is not needed. In fact, back surgery is rarely curative; it takes the patient out of commission during recovery and delays/prolongs physical therapy. Even most surgeons will agree that surgery is usually a less-than-ideal option and rarely a back pain cure.
back pain cure references
Chou R, Qaseem A, Snow V et al. Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Joint Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Annals of Internal Medicine 2007;147:478-491.
Koes BW, van TM, Lin CW, Macedo LG, McAuley J, Maher C. An updated overview of clinical guidelines for the management of non-specific low back pain in primary care. Eur Spine J 2010.
Long A, Donelson R, Fung T. Does it matter which exercise? A randomized control trial of exercise for low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976 ) 2004;29:2593-2602.
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