Back Pain Treatment Options

Part 1 of 4

SpineUniverse Founder, Orthopaedic Surgeon

South Palm Orthospine Institute

Boca Raton, FL

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Back pain is extremely common in today's society. More than 65 million Americans suffer from back pain every year. In fact back pain is the most common reason why people seek medical care.

Thanks to medical advances and technology there are now numerous treatment options for people who suffer from back pain. But, just as each patient is an individual, not all options are available or appropriate for everyone. If you are a back pain sufferer, talk to your doctor about which treatment options are best for you.

The following is a brief discussion about the most commonly used treatments for back pain available today.

Drug Therapies
Today, patients have a wide variety of medications to choose from to treat their back pain. Some drugs not only relieve pain but also work to reduce inflammation and relax muscle tension and spasm. However, many of these medications, even those available without a prescription, can have serious side effects. Talk to your doctor before taking any medications for back pain.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) include aspirin, ibuprofen, Naproxen®, Ketoprofen® and many more. Anti-inflammatory medications help reduce swelling and inflammation and promote healing. When taken in low doses, NSAIDs work as mild analgesics. When taken in higher doses and on a regular basis, enough of the drug builds up to have a true anti-inflammatory effect.

COX-2 Inhibitors are a new type of NSAID and include celecoxib (brand name Celebrex®). These medications, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allow patients to take higher doses without the accompanying gastrointestinal side effects from conventional NSAIDs.

Acetaminophen such as Tylenol®, Anacin-3®, Phenaphen®, Valadol®, and other brands are analgesics. Analgesic medications are used to treat acute or some forms of chronic pain. They are the most common alternatives to NSAIDs. Acetaminophen can be used alone or in combination with NSAIDs. Liver and kidney damage are potential serious side effects of acetaminophen use.

Opioids such as morphine and codeine, meperidine (Demerol®), or oxycodone-release (Oxycontin®) are rarely used and only if pain is severe. Due to their addictive nature, these drugs are not routinely prescribed, as many physicians believe they do more harm than good.

Muscle Relaxants such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril®), diazepam (Valium®), carisoprodol (Soma®), or methocarbamol (Robaxin®) are often prescribed for severe pain. However, some experts believe that NSAIDs are just as effective.

Posted on: January 7th, 2002
Last Updated on: December 10th, 2009

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What is this?

This article brings a number of treatment options for the patient with a back problem to ask his or her healthcare provider about. The important fact to remember is that almost all of the causes of back and/or nerve root pain will respond to the nonsurgical treatments discussed in this article.

Epidural steroids can be effective in alleviating leg pain resulting from a herniated disc or narrowing of the spine from arthritis as long as the pain has not been present for more than 3-6 months. They are often prescribed in a series of three - 2-3 weeks apart. Although most herniated discs will resolve with time without surgery (6 weeks - 3 months), some patients will require surgery sooner because of severe pain or weakness of the leg resulting from compression of the nerve by the herniated disc. The same is true of laminectomy procedures for spinal stenosis. Spinal fusion is a major surgical procedure designed to relieve mechanical back pain resulting from arthritis by eliminating movement between two or more vertebrae. It should only be considered after a 3-6 month period of nonsurgical treatment options discussed in the article.

This article should inform patients with back pain that there are a number of treatment options available that should be discussed with the treating physician in order to expedite a successful recovery.