1. For acute pain, alternate ice and moist heat applications every 15-30 minutes to keep the swelling down and minimize the injury. Use moist heat, such as a wet cloth around a hot water bottle, not a heating pad. Moist heat increases circulation to the painful area and relaxes the spasm that caused the pain. Once the initial pain has subsided, Chiropractic or Osteopathic treatment may help to insure proper alignment of the vertebral spine.
2. For chronic back pain, strengthen the back with exercises (See “Back Exercises”). Strengthening exercises for your back can be done at home. Prior to exercising, warm up your muscles by walking, cycling, or swimming. Another option is to apply a warm heating cream (e.g., Marcosport Red) prior to exercise. Exercises should then be performed in both directions (such as flexion and extension) and in one continuous motion. Make them a part of your daily routine. At the conclusion of your exercises, take a hot bath or shower for 10 minutes. Afterwards, apply a topical cooling gel (Marcosport Blue) to area of pain.
3. As a rule, never lift heavy objects! Instead, lift light objects by bending your legs, keeping your back straight, and straightening your legs. Avoid quick, jerky movements from the waist or hip. Instead, move in one direction at a time.
4. Do not slouch! When walking, imagine yourself being pulled up and forward by a string attached to your breastbone and pelvis (e.g. like a puppet on a string).
5. Sleep on a hard, preferably orthopedic, mattress or place a board under your own mattress. When sleeping, sleep on your back or on your side with your legs pulled up in the fetal position to reduce the pressure on your back. Upon arising in the morning, Avoid doing a “sit-up.” Instead, roll over on your side, slide your legs off the bed, and then use your hands to push yourself up.
6. When watching long hours of television, lie comfortably on a hard surface supported by pillows under your neck and in the small of your back or sit up straight in a good firm chair with your knees above your hips and your feet flat on the ground.
7. Get treated with a sophisticated system known as the “Vertebral Axial Decompression” or “VAX-D”, which has now been shown to be successful in over 86% of patients. VAX-D is a patented, non-surgical therapy clinically proven to be a successful conservative treatment for such conditions as chronic low back pain and sciatica, caused by bulging, herniated or degenerative discs, and facet syndrome. Even post-surgical patients and those suffering from stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal) have reported a significant pain relief from VAX-D treatments. These treatments are fully automated and specifically designed for each individual patient. This computerized system achieves decompression by minutely adjusting the pull, hold and release series that are repeated up to fifteen times over a 15 to 45-minute time period. Each series goes through a decompression phase, retraction phase, and a rest phase, allowing the tension to be directed to the injured disc, and achieves a negative pressure within the disc that creates a vacuum effect that draws nutrients and fluids into the injured area, thus promoting repair. This motion-controlled biofeedback system automatically administers the tension without injury and allows the area of injury to relax completely. For more severe or chronic injuries, a series of 20 treatment sessions is standard. Success of VAX-D can be enhanced by combining it with other synergistic treatments such as intravenous amino acids, Hokamed electromagnetic field therapy, and inhaled oxygen (e.g., ionized O2, effervescent O2, etc.).
8. Get Prolotherapy. This involves the injection of a natural solution (e.g., dextrose or saline) with anesthetic into the areas of the ligaments that hold the bones together and the tendons that attach the muscles to the bones. This, in turn, sets in motion a healing response to stimulate the body to develop new tissues in weakened areas and hold the joints together more firmly. It also helps bulging discs to return by strengthening the posterior vertebral attachments, which weakness makes a disc more prone to protrude. This approach is usually given weekly and can help to avoid surgery by stimulating the body to do its own repair.
9. Supplements to consider include: Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E, and Bioflavonoids and B-complex for stress relief; minerals such as magnesium-potassium aspartate as a natural muscle relaxant, zinc and manganese for tissue repair. DL-Phenylalanine, an amino acid, helps with alleviation of pain. The herb horsetail (e.g., Silica) aids in calcium absorption and white willow bark is a natural anti-inflammatory.
10. Homeopathics for back pain are: Arnica (especially if the pain results from acute trauma), Bryonia (if the pain is worse with movement), Rhus Tox. (if pain is worse after exposure to cold and after having been immobile), Ruta Graveolens (for lower lumbar pain made worse by sitting and lying down), and Calcarea Fluorica (when pain is burning, better with movement and worse after rest). Combination remedies such as Traumeel by HEEL are excellent. Homeopathics are available in creams, gels, and oils for topical application, too.
11. Gentle relaxation and rejuvenation therapy through use of a medical spa with steam sauna, infrared sauna, and/or contrast shower.
Reasons to seek medical advice for back pain include: pain that comes on suddenly for no apparent reason, pain that is accompanied by chest pain, pain that lasts more than three days in an acute attack or more than two weeks without relief in chronic cases, or pain that radiates down your leg. To learn more about healing and health optimizing therapies, go to www.NewHopeMedical.org or call NEW HOPE MEDICAL CENTER at (702) 476-0000 (direct line) or toll free (866) HEAL-NOW!