Where to Find Relief for Back Pain

If you’ve lifted a heavy object and felt an immediate sharp pain, you’ve experienced one of the most common reasons for doctor visits -- back pain. Activities such as unloading trucks, lifting, and bending are frequently the cause of back pain. Poor posture or prolonged sitting at a workstation that is not ergonomically correct can also cause back problems.

“We see a lot of back problems related to work, unfortunately,” says Terry Stein, MD, a practicing physician and a medical director for Blue Cross. Symptoms from back injury can range from minor aches to severe pain, he adds. “It can run the gamut and it can be pretty intense.”

Often, we do not know exactly what brought on the pain. Sometimes it can be due to an inflammatory cause or even a fractured vertebra. Much less commonly, the pain arises from an infection or cancer. While poor posture alone may not cause back pain, slumping or slouching can certainly keep back pain from getting better.

Options for Treating Back Pain

There are a full range of options available for treating back pain, including:

• Rest
• Surgery
• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic care

With relative rest, pain from overuse of the back should go away within a few weeks without any need for advanced medical treatment. However, sometimes symptoms last longer. Imaging and other testing may be needed to help figure out if specific treatments may be helpful.

Back surgery is sometimes an option, but in most cases, other treatments are recommended first, Dr. Stein says. “Unless it is the rare occasion where someone has a cancer or an infection, or perhaps the spinal cord is getting compressed, surgery should be a last resort. We usually do not recommend back surgery unless someone really needs it.”

Surgery carries with it the risk of complications and damaging nerves, he explains. Surgery sometimes is not successful, and not all people resolve their pain after having it.

“We should always be starting with physical therapy and more conservative treatments because they often do help,” Dr. Stein says. Chiropractic care can also be another option for finding relief.

One of the things people learn in physical therapy is how to lift and move properly to avoid reinjuring their back.

It’s important to work with your doctor and physical therapist to find the right regimen for you. One thing you can do is supplement your physical therapy activities with yoga. “It’s a low-risk modality. It might help improve your flexibility and help improve your core strength. It doesn’t involve a drug, it doesn’t involve surgery,” Dr. Stein says. Eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight, and staying active are also important for preventing back injury and pain.