After headache, backache or back pain is the most common neurological disorder today. Most backaches are not serious in origin and can be attributed to incorrect lifestyle. Sedentary activity levels, wrong posture and junk foods leading to nutritional inadequacies are the most common causes. Causal agents may include a simple muscle strain to more serious conditions such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis, spondylosisthesis, osteoporosis or a tumor.
A variety of therapies are found to be effective in treating back pain. These include:
• Psychotherapy - Cognitive behavior therapy is a widely accepted psychotherapy that aims at treating by manipulating one’s thought process. It attempts to modify erroneous thought patterns that lead to self-damaging behavior. Chronic pain sometimes puts the patients on extreme guard and they stop moving, the lack of movement and the way they guard their bodies becomes secondary cause of their pain. In such cases psychological intervention can be useful. Besides cognitive behavioral therapy, other treatments include meditation, guided imagery, and hypnosis.
• Exercise Therapy – A carefully designed exercise routine helps to avoid stiffness and weakness of muscles. Regular exercise keeps the discs, muscles, ligaments, and joints, healthy.
• Acupuncture Therapy – Recent published studies report that acupuncture is an effective and long-term treatment for back pain. It works on the principle of moving Qi and blood using needles. This stimulates muscle areas that are particularly congested and stiff.
• Massage Therapy – A massage therapist stimulates affected muscles to increase blood flow (circulation) throughout the body. This improves oxygen and delivery of nutrients to muscles and helps eliminate acids and other waste products that have accumulated there, thereby relieving pain. Massage also improves endorphin levels thereby effectively managing chronic pains.
• Yoga Therapy – Yoga targets specific muscle groups through breathing techniques and holding relevant body postures. It reduces tension in stress-carrying muscles through stretching and relaxation. Yoga induces body alignment and correct posture thereby maintaining the natural curvature of the spine.
• Progressive Relaxation Therapy – It’s a deep muscle relaxation technique found to be effective in the treatment of variety of disorders including muscular tension, muscle spasms and back pain. Each muscle or muscle group is tensed for five seconds followed by relaxation for twenty seconds. This procedure repeated several times reduces physiological tension, pulse rate and blood pressure, and also decreases perspiration and respiration rates.
Apart from these therapies, spinal manipulation by a chiropractor, osteopath, or physical therapist and interdisciplinary rehabilitation may also be useful. A diet high in minerals and vitamins prevents back pain arising due to nutritional deficiency.
As a word of caution, alternate therapies should only be used for small duration. If the pain still persists or aggravates, consult your doctor.