Back pain is one of the most common health conditions in the world, and tens of millions Americans deal with one form of the condition every single day. Spine pain can make even the most mundane activities painful, and it can really impact our quality of life, so it’s not something you should try to ignore and push through. Only treating the problem head-on will help put an end to your nagging back pain. We explore some ways to fight back against nagging back pain in today’s blog.

Treating Chronic Back Pain

This is far from a one-size-fits-all solution to chronic back pain, but odds are you’ll find some form of relief by pursuing one or more of the following techniques. So if you want to take back control over your nagging back pain, consider:

Getting A True Diagnosis – The spine is a complex structure, so if we’re researching our symptoms online, it can seem like we’re dealing with one thing when we’re actually dealing with something else. If you treat the wrong underlying condition, odds are you aren’t going to find relief. Head to a pain management specialist to get a comprehensive diagnosis and a treatment plan catered to your individual needs.

Pursue Active Treatment – For the majority of spinal conditions, rest alone isn’t going to solve the problem. We need to actively work to strengthen injured or nearby structures so that our body is up to the physical tasks we demand of it. Exercise, targeted stretching and physical therapy are all great ways to strengthen your spine and help achieve symptom relief.

Proper Medication Management – We’re not here to tell you to ditch the opioids and pain medications because we know from first hand experience just how integral they are to some patient’s pain care plan. However, you need to make sure that you are maximizing the benefits of these opioids, because eventually you’re going to build up a tolerance. If painkillers help make movements less painful, use that time to go to the gym or perform your PT exercises. Pain medications play a key part in pain management, but for full benefit they need to be paired with active treatment options.

Treat Your Mind – It’s also important to care for your mental health while you’re trying to tackle back pain. Your mindset plays a key role in the success of treatment as well as your willingness to partake in helpful activities like rehab or PT. Talk to your doctor about any negative thoughts or anxious feelings you’re having, and find healthy ways to help take your mind off back pain. Psychological and physical well-being are often connected, so don’t ignore one while trying to treat the other.

Stick With It – Finally, really dive into a care plan routine and see it through. You’re not going to lose weight and make your New Year’s resolutions if you stop going to the gym after a week, and you’re not going to see much progress if you skip physical therapy sessions or make poor dietary choices. Really commit to a back pain treatment plan, and we’re confident you’ll see positive results soon enough.

For help with any aspect of your back pain management, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.