Lower back pain has been broadly classified into two types, namely acute pain and chronic pain. An acute pain signifies that the pain is a recent phenomenon whereas a chronic pain indicates the persistence of pain over a longer period of time. The pain in the lower back region can arise from a variety of reasons such as pulled back muscles, arthritis, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or could be even because of a disc problem.

Causes and Symptoms of Lower Back Pain

People suffering from this disorder very often complain of pain in the low back, arms, and legs. The pain could either be a local pain or radiating pain. Severe conditions include loss of bowel or bladder control, and usually medical intervention is warranted under such conditions. Many of the traditional treatments do not provide permanent or long term relief and are usually criticized for not treating the underlying cause of the disorder but rather superficially addressing the symptoms of the disorder.

Common Treatments for Lower Back Pain

There have been arguments advocating the need of a physical treatment rather than the use of medications and injections. Such arguments cite the reduction of pressure on the nerves along with improving the working of the joints as potential solutions. There are two kinds of common treatments for herniated discs. The first one is a medicinal treatment and involves the use of medication, while the second is some kind of physical treatment. The medications involve dosages of cortisone injections along with a set of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The physical treatments predominantly include the use of hot packs and therapeutic exercises and could also employ ultrasound and electrical stimulation of the affected body parts.

Other treatments for Lower Back Pain

Advanced treatments include surgical treatments, which are expensive and are to be resorted to only as a last option. Some of the other widely available treatments include Inversion Therapy, Muscle Balance Therapy, Trigger Point Therapy, Proteolytic Enzyme Therapy, Healthy Heating Pad, and lower back pain exercises. Temporary relief can be obtained by using ice in the first 48 hours whereas heat treatment is found to be effecting for pains that last for more than 48 hours. These primary treatments control the inflammation and pain along with the usual stiffness associated with the pain. With the use of technology, identifying muscle imbalances has become relatively easy. The identification of imbalances is subsequently followed by practicing an appropriate set of exercises and stretches targeting the lower back region.