• Treatment


The treatment of back pain ranges from simple reassurance thai nothing is wrong to extremely delicate surgery. Each case is different and treatment must be individualized to meet the circumstances. Treatment falls into two major categories:

• Conservative treatment—which includes exercise,medications, physical therapy and other non-operativetherapy.

• Surgical treatment—which includes laminectomy,diskectomy and spinal fusion in selected conditions.Treatment for any back condition should involve two goals:

• To relieve the immediate problem

• To reduce the risk-inj ury
Exercise plays an important role in achieving both of these goals.
More than 85 percent of people with lower back pain improve with minimal treatment in a matter of days. However, if back problems persist, doctors generally prescribe one or more of the following treatments. For some back conditions, the doctor may refer the patient to another specialist such as an orthopedist, rheumatologists; physical or occupational therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist or surgeon.
Rest

The most common treatment doctors recommend for severe back pain is bed rest. Different people require different amounts of rest. Usually, two to three days of staying in bed, except to go to the bathroom, will be enough to ease the back pain. The doctor may be consulted to know if special pillows or devices are necessary to give additional support to the neck, back, or feet

Heat and Cold

Many people have found that hot and cold treatments help relieve back pain. It is advisable to try both to find out which of the two works best.

Heat relaxes muscles and soothes painful areas. There are many ways to apply heat. Some people like hot showers or baths, while others prefer using heat lamps, heating pads or warm compresses. For the persons having arthritis, heating the muscles first might make it easier to do back exercises. Care should be taken not to fall asleep while using heat.
Cold has a numbing effect. This often helps relieve pain. One of the following methods may be tried for applying cold:

• an ice bag

• a large ice cube used to massage the area


• frozen package of vegetables (peas work best)


• a commercially made cold pack. Be sure not to leave iceon after the skin becomes numb as this could lead tolocalized frostbite. Persons sensitive to ice or havingdecreased circulation or sensation should not use coldtreatment.