Perhaps you are an athlete, or maybe someone elderly who pulled his/her lower back while lifting something heavy. Back injuries, including lower back injury, are very common. However, with so many potentially harmful chemical medications on the market, you want something more natural and safe. Before committing to a conventional prescription drug method of treatment, read this list of 5 must-consider facts about lower back injury treatment options, and ask your doctor how beneficial they could be for your specific case:
1. Different Treatments are Available: Pain management through the use of therapy based treatments and medications are often effective for most people. However, there are nearly as many alternative methods to approaching a back injury as there are conventional methods. One of these uses an ultrasound to bounce waves into tissues to provide relief, another known as traction uses weights to put the spine back into alignment. TENS units are used in some to use electrical currents to stimulate healing muscle activity and biofeedback (the mental control over pain) can be useful in others. These types of treatments are not for everyone and are typically a last resort when other types have proven unsuccessful.
2. Alternative Therapy and the Lower Back are Good Friends: There is a reason why people who are suffering from a back injury from strains, sprains or disc problems or chronic lower back pain often turn to treatments like massage therapy and acupuncture. While these types of treatment get little respect by the medical community in some regards, practitioners of these methods of treatment tend to be incredibly knowledgeable about the entire lumbar region and are therefore exceptional at both figuring out how to relieve back pain and soothe tense and tired muscles in the area. Because a lower back injury is one of the most common reasons that people turn to acupuncture or massage therapy, the people performing them are very familiar with them as well as the most effective ways to treat them.
3. Cryo is Important: While standard ice packs are typically used and are found to be effective at providing relief from painful inflammation in the lower back area, there are also exciting advancements being made in terms of whole body cryotherapy. Also referred to as cryosauna or cryo chamber, it’s a clinically proven yet not very well known resource for both acute and chronic pain management. Whole body cryotherapy harnesses the inflammation relieving benefits of the good old ice pack and amplifies them tremendously, providing longer lasting relief. In fact, users of the treatment can benefit from pain relief for weeks following a single session. It’s not a wonder then that Cryotherapy Toronto clinics are becoming increasingly popular, with everyone from amateur and professional athletes to those with a recent back injury anxious to take advantage of the skin chilling therapy.
4. Heat is Useful: Cold therapy is most important immediately following a lower back injury as it’s used to combat pain associated with inflammation and also to reduce swelling. However, although there is little scientific evidence to support it, heat therapy can be useful in the days following cold therapy. A heating pad or warm baths can help to unwind and soothe tense muscles that can contribute to pain and soreness in some individuals. And this treatment may work even better if alternated with cold therapy, especially Whole Body Cryotherapy.
5. An Anti-Inflammatory Diet can be Useful: In many cases, a lower back injury can lead to long term and chronic pain. Unfortunately, this means that many of the body’s anti inflammatory benefits can be spent on trying to remedy issues in the back. However, it’s possible to help restore these natural helpers by engaging in an anti inflammatory diet. Typically these include a decreased ingestion of certain types of grains and an increase in natural compounds like fish oil. There are other natural anti inflammatories to consider as well including some spices like turmeric, which has long been hailed as a natural superfood. Reducing inflammation is important both while recovering from an injury and for long term pain relief when symptoms persist.