Dealing with back pain is something that no one wants to go through. Unfortunately, this is a symptom that a lot of people experience. Dr. Klosterman and his staff would love to help you with your pain.
What are the Symptoms of Chronic Back Pain?
Back pain can leave you feeling miserable. Any movement you make can irritate any pain you are feeling. Trying to figure out what is causing your pain and how to fix it can be hard. Some symptoms that are mentioned when you experience back pain are:
- Muscle Aches
- Pain that is Shooting or Stabbing in Certain Areas
- Radiating Pain Down The Leg
- Worsening Pain When bending, Lifting, or Standing
- Relief From Pain When Laying FLat
What Does Chronic Back Pain Feel Like?
The way that people experience pain or even describe it can be so different. Everyone has their own experience with it. Some have a higher pain tolerance than others, so it can be hard to decipher in some people the severity of the problem. The terms that are often associated with chronic back pain are :
- Shooting Pain
- Burning Pain
- Aching Pain
- Electrical Shocks
When people are experiencing discomfort from pain in their back it is a very uncomfortable thing. They may say they are feeling tired, exhausted, sore, or tender in certain areas of their back. It makes it very difficult to do your daily tasks when you are feeling these things. Some may appear or say that they feel stiff and unable to move about as they please.
What Can Cause Chronic Back Pain?
There can be a variety of reasons that you are experiencing back pain. It is sometimes a very difficult thing to diagnose the root problem. If you have injured your back in a car accident or another injury, at least you know what you did. A lot of times back pain is age-related for people. Some other reasons that you could be experiencing back pain are:
- Arthritis in the spine
- Spinal Stenosis
- Disc Problems
- Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Whatever the reason that you are experiencing pain, it doesn’t make it any easier. It is very important for you to get relief, to find the cause of the pain. You want to be sure that it is accurate because treating it the wrong way can cause more pain.
How To Help Back Pain
When you have figured out what is causing your back pain, or even if you haven’t, there are some options for helping the problem. Physical therapy is probably one of the first places that a doctor will send you. Stretching and exercise is the first step to helping. The muscles may be tight and need some stretching. But, we all know that what works for one person doesn’t always work for the other. Some other things you can try are:
- Diet- If you are overweight it could cause more strain on your back, causing you pain. There are also foods that you eat that could be a higher source of inflammation. You can learn what those foods are and eliminate them from your diet and see if that helps.
- Lifestyle Modifications- When you have back pain, you learn what you can do comfortably and what you can’t. You adapt your lifestyle to these limitations. You learn to take your daily chores and activities at a different pace and learn what works for you.
- Injections-Based Treatments– Usually this is an option only when they know the exact root cause of your pain. These are things such as nerve blocks, epidural steroid injections, and other types of injections. These are not long term solutions and will have to be repeated as the pain comes back.
- Acupuncture- Acupuncture could give you some pain relief. It can stimulate the nerves that are causing you problems. Your doctor can help direct you in the right direction of someone who can do this for you.
- Anti-Inflammatory Drugs– This type of drug can help with pain and swelling due to back pain. This isn’t something that will fix the problem, but it can give you some relief while you figure it out.
Ways To Sleep To Alleviate Back Pain
The way that you sleep at night can either hurt your back or help your back. Sometimes when you wake up in the morning you can have a crick in your back, and leave you in pain for a couple of days. There are ways you can sleep to help when you experience back pain.
If you lay flat on your back and place a pillow under your knees, this is the best way to help you with the level of pain you feel. The pillow is helping the natural curve of your spine be there even when lying down. This is helping to not put any more stress on that area.
Can Chronic Back Pain Be Cured?
When it comes to curing this type of pain, it is hard to say. A lot of times it depends on the cause of the pain. If someone has had years of back pain, they can expect it to not go away quickly. But, back pain can be a side effect of several different problems going on. People who experience kidney stones or other kidney issues can experience pain in their back.
Some ways to manage back pain is with heat and cold packs. This is especially helpful when you just injured your back, it can help prevent swelling. Doing this on and off for several hours will help you know if the pain is going to worsen and you need medical help.
Call Us Today
Dr. Klosterman and the staff at Rise Chiropractic and Acupuncture strives to do their best to help you with any pain you may be feeling. Back pain can really keep you feeling bad with day to day activities. Call us today to get an appointment and assistance in resolving your pain.
Are you suffering from a sports injury, back pain, or an auto accident? Did you know that chiropractic treatment can help?
Get in touch with Dr. Dave Klosterman at Rise Chiropractic and Acupuncture today!
