5 Conservative Treatments for Chronic Back Pain

If back pain limits your quality of life and forms a chronic problem in your days and nights, you’re not alone. Back pain is one of the most common chronic pain complaints among adults in the United States.

Dr. Beejal Y. Amin understands the causes and treatments for chronic back pain, including spinal issues. Dr. Amin treats new and existing patients from his practice in Oak Lawn, South Holland, and Orland Park, Illinois. He works with you to effectively address your chronic pain.

If you’re not interested in invasive approaches like back surgery, what conservative treatment options are available to address and resolve your chronic back pain? Here are five conservative treatment approaches for back pain you should know about.

1. Rest or activity changes

If you’re physically active or frequently lift heavy weights, pressure and irritation around your spine or a herniated disc could cause back pain. If that’s the case, you likely need to change your activity levels to let your back rest and recover. A few week’s rest or reduced activity could be what you need to get rid of chronic back pain flare-ups.

2. Physical therapy and healthy weight loss

Back pain problems can relate to underuse, as well as over-use. Back pain may result if you’re not stretching sufficiently and the muscles that support your back and spine are too weak. Back pain is often made worse by being overweight or obese.

That’s why Dr. Amin may also recommend physical therapy and healthy weight loss for some of his back pain patients. Just moderate weight loss of 5-10% of your body weight helps significantly with issues like chronic back pain.

3. Anti-inflammatory medication

Inflammation in your back can trap you in cycles of chronic back pain. Anti-inflammatory medication addresses that issue, lowering the levels of inflammation in your body to free you from the negative feedback loop that’s been keeping you in pain.

4. Muscle relaxant medication

Sometimes, back pain relates to a spasming muscle or muscle group. Muscle relaxant medications may resolve the issue, which is another conservative approach to breaking the cycle of chronic pain.

5. Injection therapies

Injection therapies let Dr. Amin directly target an area of concern, like a muscle or nerve that seems to be the source of your chronic back pain. Dr. Amin provides nerve block injections of local anesthetic and corticosteroid injections to target inflammation.

Nerve blocks give you immediate relief, while steroid injections take a little longer to become effective. Nerve blocks also function as a diagnostic tool, providing Dr. Amin more information about the location and nature of your back pain.

These conservative treatment options are available if you need treatment for back pain and aren’t ready to consider even the minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) used by Dr. Amin.

To consult with Dr. Amin about the best approach to treat and resolve your back pain problem, contact his office online or over the phone and schedule an appointment today.