A rest is as good as a cure…

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most obvious natural treatments for
back pain is also one of the most effective. Even if you are suffering
from something as apparently serious as a slipped disc, it is quite likely
that your medical practitioner will recommend flat bed rest as the first
cause of treatment.
It is also likely that he or she will also prescribe inflammatory drugs and
painkillers as well, but, as previously suggested, you probably don’t
want to take these if you are looking for a natural cure for your back
pain problems. Moreover, the fact the bed rest is considered to be a
practical treatment for such an apparently serious condition should give
you some indication of how highly rated rest is as a back pain
treatment, and there could be nothing more natural than rest.
Even if you have nothing more than a muscle strain, bed rest is a great
way of reducing the severity of the pain, but you should not stay in bed
for more than two or three days, because doing so can actually make
the pain worse rather than better.
Knowing this, the next thing that you must know is that your choice of
bed is an absolutely critical factor in how much back pain relief you will
get from flat bed rest. However, this does not necessarily mean that
you should invest in a bed that is described as having any particular
medical properties, or as an orthopedic bed or mattress.
In fact, according to research in the UK, the majority of orthopedic
mattresses are too hard, and as a result, only 6% of experts would
recommend an orthopedic mattress to back pain sufferers.
What you are looking for is a bed mattress that is firm and supportive,
as opposed to being hard. Furthermore, if you are a regular back pain
sufferer, you should also consider changing your bed more frequently,
because older beds and mattresses are less likely to give you the
support and comfort that you need to alleviate or perhaps even get rid
of your back condition.
There would also be an argument here for spending as much money as
you can afford on your next bed if you are a constant back pain
sufferer, because it does seem from all available research that sleeping
in or on a high-quality bed can make a significant difference to your
back pain problems.
Obviously, everyone who suffers a back pain condition has a slightly
different problem and therefore there is not one ideal sleeping solution
that covers every back pain sufferer. For this reason, you must be
willing to do a little research when you buy your next bed. That bed could be the difference between your continuing to suffer back problems
for as long as you sleep in it, or solving your problems in a matter of
weeks.
No matter where you live, your local bed store will offer dozens of
choices, but do not be persuaded by a sales person to take the bed that
they believe is best for your back problems (‘but everyone who has a
back problem buys the Super-ABC bed!’).
Find beds that seem to have the appropriate degree of firmness and
support, and test every one for at least 10 minutes in your normal
sleeping position. Do this and your back will very soon tell you whether
you are looking at the right bed or not!
Is the bed the right height for you to get in and out without any back
pain or discomfort? If it is so low or so high that entry and exit are
likely to exacerbate your back problems, you should move on to the
next option immediately.
Buy as big a bed as you can afford, particularly if there are two people
going to share it. This ensures that you or both of you have plenty of
room to move, which should help with a good night’s sleep.
Finally, do take time to consider the pillows that you use, and how
many of them you generally sleep with. If your pillows are too high,
they could significantly alter the shape and angle of your body during
sleep, and if your shape is not good, this could offset the benefits that
you hope to gain by getting a new bed in the first place.
Also, think about your individual sleeping position, and try to find one
that appears to put the least strain on your back.

The difficulty with back problems…

If you were to be in a position to ask any suitably qualified member of
the medical profession, you would probably be reliably informed that
understanding and diagnosing back problems is one of the most
frustrating and difficult tasks any member of the medical profession will
ever face.
The problem that they face is that unless there is a clear clinical,
medical condition (such as osteoporosis) which can give them a clue as
to the root cause of your back problems, it can be very difficult for any
medical practitioner to come up with a categorical explanation of your
back problems.
If you are a person who very rarely has a back problem, or you are in a
position to pinpoint a particular activity that has probably strained your
back, the medical professional who you consult is not likely to have
much of a problem diagnosing and/or treating your problem.
On the other hand, if you have a long-term or persistent back pain
problem, then you should adopt a different approach if you choose to
consult a medical professional (and there is absolutely no harm at all in
seeking professional opinion).
In this case, expecting an informed medical opinion the very first time
you consult with a new medical adviser is simply not realistic.
Given that diagnosing back problems is notoriously difficult, if you
expect an answer immediately, you are likely to make a mistake that
many back pain sufferers make. This is the error of ‘jumping’ from one
medical professional to another on an almost never-ending basis in the
desperate hope that someone is going to come up with a miracle
diagnosis for your problem.
This is not the way it works in the real world. What you need to do is to
find a medical practitioner with whom you are comfortable – an
orthopedist, osteopath or general medical practitioner – and work with
them for a period of at least several weeks, and ideally several months.
By doing things in this way, you give them a realistic chance of
discovering what your real problem is. This enables them to treat your
condition in the most appropriate manner, although you should not
expect an instant, miracle cure, because it may well be that no such
thing exists even after they have discovered the root cause of your
problem.
Only if you have given them sufficient time and you still find that they
can come up with no satisfactory answer should you consider moving on
to seek someone else's opinion.

Resources;

1.7 seconds pain relief

2.The x-pain method

3.Back pain video program

When to consider seeking medical attention…

As suggested, the majority of back problems that most people suffer
from are likely to be caused by muscle strains of one form or another.
In this situation, it is unlikely that there will be any need for serious
medical attention or treatment.
While not belittling the fact that back muscle strains can be very painful
indeed, there is very little that your medical practitioner can do to help
you in this situation other than prescribing painkillers and relieving
creams or ointments. Unless you know that these are 100% natural,
you may not want to take or use them in any event.
If you have a new case of back pain that you cannot explain, you may
want to contact your medical practitioner for an evaluation.
However, there are certain situations where you should definitely seek
medical attention for your back pain, because it may be that it is a
symptom or an indication of something that might be more serious. In
particular, make sure that you contact your doctor if:
• The pain lasts more than a week or so, and does not seem to be
decreasing in severity;
• You have a back pain that is accompanied with an inability to
properly control your bladder or bowels;
• You have chills, fevers. sweating, trembling or find that you feel
alternately hot and cold. In this case, you have a fever as well as
back pain, which clearly needs checking at the soonest
opportunity;
• You notice any other unusual additional symptoms that would not
normally be associated with a muscle strain or ligament sprain.

Resources;
1.7 seconds pain relief

2.The x-pain method

3.Back pain video program

Medical treatments for back pain…contd.

There is always a risk involved in such surgical
procedures, specifically the risk of paralysis, because this is surgery
undertaken in very close proximity to the individual patient’s spinal
cord. Surgery is generally only considered when all else has failed and
the situation is clearly deteriorating.
Beyond this short list of recognized medical treatments for various
causes of back pain and associated problems, there are many natural
treatments that you can apply to reduce the severity of your back pain,
and to treat your condition at the same time.
Before starting to look at these natural treatments in greater detail,
however, let me first set out what I would consider to be a sensible
approach to consulting a qualified member of the medical profession
about your back pain problem.

Chronic backpain

Medical treatments for back pain…

Anti-inflammatory drugs (more commonly known as nonspecific
anti-inflammatory drugs) can sometimes be useful for reducing
the pain in your back, and also bringing down any associated
inflammation. However, like all pharmaceutical drugs, even NSAIDs can
have side-effects such as an increased risk of gastro-intestinal bleeding.
Thus, they are not ideal for everyone who suffers from a back pain
problem, and they should be taken for as short a period of time as
possible.

In addition, there are narcotic pain killers that will reduce the pain
symptoms, but they can also be used only for a limited period of time
with any degree of safety. Drug based muscle relaxants might also be
prescribed by your medical attendant if the primary cause of your back
pain problems is muscle spasms. In this case, however, muscle
relaxants (such as Valium) are likely to make you drowsy, so once
again, great care has to be applied if you intend to take such drugs.

If you are suffering from inflammation around the spinal nerves, your
medical practitioner may recommend an epidural steroid injection that
will reduce both the pain and the inflammation around the nerves at the
same time. Steroids are another pharmaceutical drug that you should
only take for a limited period of time, and most people who have had an
epidural will tell you that it is no walk in the park!
The final solution is spinal surgery, but this actually only happens in a
small number of cases. Spinal surgery only becomes necessary after
trying all other treatments without success, hence it is most commonly
used as a treatment of last resort.

Spinal surgery is only really effective for a limited number of conditions
listed in the previous section such as spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis
or to remove a ruptured disc should that become necessary (which is
unusual).
Most physicians will only consider surgery when they believe that the
risk of not undertaking surgery is greater than the risk of doing so. For
example, if after a considerable period of non-invasive treatment, a
slipped or ruptured disc is not getting any better, it can quite easily
start to get worse. In this situation, it is possible that spinal surgery will
be considered.
Chronic back pain.

Medical causes of back pain 3

Sciatica: Sciatica is another relatively common form of back pain. This
is a term that is used to describe a pain that not only affects the lower
back, but also stretches down into the buttocks and legs. It results from
irritation or overstimulation of a large nerve in the spinal column known
as the sciatic nerve. Because sciatica is a pain that is associated with
irritation of a particular nerve, it is a condition that can accompany
other less serious back problems like muscle strains and ligament
sprains.

Spinal stenosis: This is another condition that is associated with
getting older. The spinal column itself can become more restrictive as a
result of a condition like arthritis, and as a result it can put pressure on
the spinal cord or surrounding nerves. In this case, pain is the almost
inevitable result.

Osteoporosis: This is another condition that is generally associated
with the ageing process, one in which the bones throughout the body
get continually weaker due to reduced levels of calcium. Consequently,
because the bones are gradually weakening, it is not uncommon to find
osteoporosis has caused compression fractures of the vertebrae,
particularly in older women.

Lumbar spine arthritis: Although it is likely that you are most familiar
with arthritis as a medical condition that mainly affects external parts of
the body such as the fingers, hands and toes, it is a fact that arthritis
can attack any bone and joint in the body. Consequently, arthritis can
attack the joints in the spine, making almost any kind of movement a
very painful process.

Spondylolisthesis: When adjacent vertebrae in the spine become
unstable because of a general degenerative condition in that area of the
body, individual vertebrae can begin to shift their positions relative to
one another. In this scenario, it is always possible that individual
vertebrae will start grinding or rubbing against one another, and this
will cause a great deal of back pain.
Chronic back pain.

Medical causes of back pain 2

In between each of these individual vertebrae you will find a small disc
which is made up of a tough outer coating (the annulus), and a gel-like
central interior (the nucleus pulposus). These discs are designed to act
as ‘shock absorbers’ between each of the vertebrae which in turn
enables your spine to flex, bend and move in a controlled manner while
not causing you any discomfort or pain (under normal circumstances).
Quite clearly however, if any of the ‘shock absorbing’ discs have a
problem, then the vertebrae of your spine are likely to knock together
or jar one another, and this will often cause a great deal of pain.
One disc related condition that you may suffer from is a slipped disc.
This happens when the soft gel like interior of the disc pushes itself out
through the tough outer coating - with two possible results, either of
which may (but may not) cause you pain. Firstly, you no longer have a
‘shock absorber’ between your vertebrae, and secondly, the escaped
gel-like substance may put additional pressure on your spinal-cord or
the nerve cells in that area, in which case, you will undoubtedly feel a
great deal of pain.
However, it is important to note that, whether you feel pain or not, if
the nucleus pulposus has escaped from a disc in your spine, then you
have a slipped disc, irrespective of whether there is any pain or not.
Sometimes, you will suffer what is known as a ruptured (or herniated)
disk which is pretty much the same as happens with a slipped disc.
However, the phrase is most commonly used in connection with the
lumbar and cervical vertebrae, primarily the former.
These are the five vertebrae that do most of the supporting work of the
spine, and consequently the pressure on these particular vertebrae is
considerable.
Again, you have a ruptured lumber disc when the soft gel-like
substance from inside the disc escapes through the tough outer coating
of the disc.
As we get older, the discs in our spine become less pliable, so it
therefore becomes increasingly likely that you will suffer a slipped or
ruptured disc.
Chronic back pain.