Top 3 Treatment Options for Back Pain Relief

Back pain has quickly become the second leading reason for a doctor’s visit and has now gained the title of one of the top five most expensive ailments to treat.

Here in Spokane, 40% of the adult population has struggled with some degree of back pain at one time or another, keeping back pain specialists in Spokane quite busy treating residents with a wide range of treatment options.

Some back pain specialists may prescribe medication, while others may recommend chiropractic care, and even back surgery if all else fails. But with so many types of treatment available, how can you tell which is best for your specific case?

Below you will find the top 3 treatment options available to back pain sufferers. While there are other types of therapies and modalities available for pain management, we have selected the most popular options based on Google search results, examining the pros and cons of each back pain remedy.

Painkillers

Many back pain sufferers in Spokane may see their general practitioner discuss their back pain in more detail, but fail to follow through with additional visits to back pain specialists to further explore the cause of pain. Instead, they take painkillers on a regular basis as it is seemingly the quickest fix.

Back pain has become so common nowadays that many people simply accept it as part of getting old, or associate it as a normal part of their work, busy lifestyle, or sports-related injury.

Often people think back pain is nothing too serious that warrants a more serious medical intervention, so are happy popping a few pills in the morning or at night as part of their daily ritual.

The truth is that painkillers do help alleviate back pain, and while this sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered, in actuality painkillers such as Advil, Alieve, and Tylenol do very little to fix the root cause of pain.

Whether back pain is caused by a spinal misalignment, pinched nerve, or tight muscles, painkillers only numb the nerves for a period of time, which means once the effect of the drug wears off, the pain comes back once again.

The only positive aspect of taking pain medication is that painkillers do kill the pain, allowing patients to go about their daily lives.

The disadvantage of such drugs is that they’re only temporary, and with so many chemicals and side effects, they are not safe for prolonged use.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractors are back pain specialists who look at the spine for the cause of back pain. A thorough examination and assessment by a highly trained corrective care chiropractor can pinpoint the source of the ailment, where subsequent adjustments and spinal therapy can eventually help in correcting the spine and alleviating the pain on a more permanent basis.

Another benefit of working with corrective care is that they do not utilize any unsafe or invasive procedures, meaning they aren’t into prescribing habit-forming prescription medication or putting patients under the knife.

This mindset ensures that patients are being treated in the most natural and therapeutic way, where in time, they will experience life-changing results all without chemicals or risky spinal surgery.

Many people may not consider chiropractors as real back pain specialists, instead thinking chiropractors only work on whiplash after a car accident.

While that is a small area of a chiropractor’s expertise, the vast majority of their work is done on rehabilitating the spine and eliminating the sources of back pain.

Whether the pain is mild or severe, or the pain affects the patient’s lower back, mid-back, or upper back, the right corrective care chiropractor is highly recommended in addressing the pain and giving patients a new lease on life.

The benefits of working with a corrective care chiropractor are that the treatment addresses the root cause of pain, helping greatly diminish or eliminate pain, and preventing it from coming back.

The disadvantage is that the treatment course may take months, which is a small price to pay to avoid surgery.

Back Surgery

Often, if back pain persists for longer than “expected,” a general practitioner may refer you to an orthopedic surgeon, where after some additional tests and assessments, including x-rays, back surgery, or spine surgery may be recommended.

Through back surgery, an orthopedic surgeon is able to correct the area of concern and address various spinal issues to help alleviate pain.

While spine surgery is considered a sure bet to fix the problem by most medical doctors and some back pain specialists, research and published papers point to a number of serious issues that such surgery may cause.

As an example, the website webmd.com points out common complications, including nerve damage, stroke, hypertension, sexual dysfunction, and various types of infections as a result of back surgery.

Other research points to a success rate of only 50%, where only half the patients experience lifelong relief.

Unfortunately, the other half is most likely required to perform additional surgeries or procedures to correct the problem or may need to seek other types of care to address the same problem.

The advantage of going through surgery for those who have run out of options is that it is a viable option that can produce good results. The disadvantage is the long recovery time, often noted as anywhere between 2 to 6 months based on the complexity of the operation.

The success rate of back surgery is also a big factor to consider as half of those treated do not get the results they were expecting. Finally, side effects, complications, and financial loss are all things to look at carefully before opting to go under the knife.

Chiropractor Spokane – Back in Motion P.S. Chiropractic has been helping back pain sufferers regain their mobility through the Chiropractic BioPhysics protocol.

As the only CBP practitioner in Spokane, Dr. Cameron Weishaar has helped hundreds of back pain sufferers avoid going under the knife, turning around their life through world-class spinal rehabilitation techniques unique to this office.

So if you or a loved one is suffering from back pain and is looking for a back pain specialist in Spokane, please contact our office today for a free, no-obligation consultation to see if CBP is the right approach for your mild to severe back pain.