Treatments

Medications

Medications play an effective role in the treatment of back or neck pain. Your doctor may prescribe several medications to help reduce pain and associated symptoms that are caused by unhealthy spinal conditions or deformities.When treating a chronic lower back pain, the healthcare professional will prescribe a medication regimen, taking into consideration the precise needs of the patient including severity, period of pain and medical history of the individual.

Nutrition and Your Spine

Nutrients are the chemical components present in food which provide energy for carrying normal physiological functions and also aid in metabolic processes of the body.Nutrition refers to the entire cycle of chemical changes occurring within the body depending on what we eat or don’t eat. Nutrition determines the strength of the teeth, bones, and the connective tissues. A healthy diet during childhood paves the way for a healthy adulthood.

Piriformis Muscle Injections

The piriformis muscle is present in the buttocks, connecting the sacrum to the outer surface of the hip. This muscle enables us to walk and run. The sciatic nerve is a thick, long nerve passing through or below the piriformis muscle. A spasm of the piriformis muscle can compress the sciatic nerve resulting in severe pain (sciatica). The pain is usually felt over the buttocks but may radiate to the back of the thigh and down the leg as well.

Sacroiliac Joint Injections

Sacroiliac joints (SI joint) are joints in the lower back region, located where the sacrum and ilium bones conjoin. Despite the fact that these joints are small and have limited motion, they have an important role of connecting your spine to the pelvic bone and thus the lower part of your body. They perform important functions by absorbing the injurious shock forces of the upper portion of the body.

Facet Injection

The facet joints are the tiny joints situated at the upper and lower part of each vertebra connecting one vertebra to the other. Each of the vertebrae has four facet joints which include a pair that connect to the vertebra above (superior facets) and another pair that connects to the vertebra below (inferior facets). They guide motion and also provide stability. Pain may arise in these joints as a result of an injury to the back, spinal arthritis, or because of increased stress on the backbone.

Epidural Spinal Injections

Epidural spinal injection is a non-surgical treatment option utilized for relieving back pain. Spine degenerative conditions such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis and many others may induce back pain due to the compression of the associated spinal nerves. This pain or numbness may extend to the other parts of the body such as hips, buttocks, and legs. Doctors start with non-surgical methods to treat back pain and epidural spinal injection is one of these preferences.

Spinal Cord Stimulator

Back and leg pain often have causes which either improve on their own or which the surgeon can correct. Sometimes there is no easily correctable cause of the pain. Among other things, scar tissue around the nerves or chronic inflammation of the nerves such as arachnoiditis may cause leg and back pain. When the neurosurgeon feels that open surgery to decompress the nerves is unlikely to help the pain, an operation to implant a spinal cord stimulator may be very beneficial for the patient.

Post-Operative Instructions

Your surgeon may recommend a few specific post-operative instructions following spinal surgery. You should follow the instructions of the surgeon to aid in faster recovery with optimum results. The duration of hospitalization depends on the treatment rendered. The period of your rest or inactivity depends on a few factors such as the type of surgical procedure and the approach used to access your spine, the size of the incision and presence of any complications.

Possible Complications of Spinal Surgeries

Possible complications may occur before surgery, during surgery and after surgery. The most serious complication of a herniated disc that may occur before surgery is the development of the cauda equine syndrome. It occurs when a large particle of disc material is ruptured into the spinal canal. It occurs in the area where the nerves that control the bowels and bladder travel before they leave the spine. This causes pressure on these nerves resulting in permanent damage. Bowel and bladder controlling ability is lost. If this problem occurs, surgery could be recommended immediately to try to remove the pressure on the nerves.

Healthy Back Tips

Back and neck pain are the most common health problems experienced by most people, at some point of their lives. People with back pain or neck pain may experience difficulty in performing daily routine activities. There are several things that you can do to relieve stress and lessen your back and neck pain.

Spine Rehabilitation

Research has shown that targeted exercises, proper body mechanics, and correct postural concepts taught within physical therapy can help decrease spine dysfunction and significantly reduce the risk of recurrence. Rehabilitation team consists of physical therapists, orthopedic doctors, massage therapists and also athletic trainers in case of rehabilitation for sports injuries.

Recreational Do’s & Don’ts while lifting weights

Do’s

• Do place your feet and knees at least shoulder wide apart while lifting
• Do squat or lean over with the chest and buttocks sticking out

Don’ts

• Don’t lift or carry unbalanced and heavy weights
• Don’t lift and bend too quickly

Proper lifting

Lifting heavy weights and improper lifting of weights is one of the foremost causes for neck pain or lower back pain. Practicing proper lifting techniques is essential to avoid strain on the neck and back. Prior to lifting weights, stretch slowly and stop lifting weights if you experience any sharp pain. While lifting weights never bend at the waist. Put one knee on the ground, and use your arms and legs to lift the object up onto the opposite thigh.

Treatment Options for Back and Neck Pain

Back and neck pain are common symptoms of injury, damage, deformity or unhealthy spinal conditions. Pain may range from a mild ache to a sharp shooting pain that can spread down your arms and legs. There are many conservative and surgical treatment options that can relieve pain by targeting the symptoms or the underlying problem.