Is It Too Late To Treat My Back Pain?
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Too many people, for one reason or another, opt not to treat their back pain. Maybe they hope that it will go away on its own, maybe they don’t like going to the doctor, or maybe they cite one of the hundreds of other reasons we hear from patients as to why they didn’t have their spine pain treated sooner. In most instances, untreated back pain only tends to get worse, and over time, this can lead people to wonder if their back pain will ever resolve, or if it’s too late to take care of the problem.
We can’t guarantee that we can completely resolve your back pain, but we can say that it is never too late to treat your discomfort. We explain why it’s never too late to start a back pain treatment regimen in today’s blog.
It’s Not Too Late To Treat Your Back Pain
We rely on our spines to aid in almost every move we make, so if a spine problem exists, odds are you’re going to be dealing with daily pain. When this happens, it’s important that we don’t just try to ignore it and push past the discomfort, because many times it’s our daily actions that led to the injury in the first place. Whether it be our exercise routine or our posture throughout the day at work, doing the same things that led to pain in the first place won’t help it resolve, but it can make it worse.
Oftentimes this process leads people to a point where back pain becomes a pressing problem. Maybe it makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning or perform simple tasks. You may be wondering if you put off treatment for too long and that nobody can help with your issue, but that’s not a healthy mindset to have. As we mentioned above, while we might not be able to fully free you from back pain, odds are we can either treat the underlying cause or alleviate symptoms to make the condition more bearable.
That process starts with a journey to your spine specialist’s office. They will begin by asking about your symptoms, examining your spine, asking you to perform some simple movement tests and by confirming their suspicions with the help of some imaging tests. Once they understand the factors at play, they can begin to help develop a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs.
Back Pain Treatment Options
While treatment will be unique to the individual, a combination of certain conservative techniques tends to be the first step in recovery. Treatments like rest, activity modification, exercise, heat/cold therapy, physical therapy, and corticosteroid injections tend to produce successful results when pursued for at least 6 weeks. In rare instances, surgery may be recommended if conservative care can’t address the issue. During surgery, the surgeon will work to correct the underlying issue and ensure the spine’s stability so that it can heal as expected after the operation is complete. After surgery, patients will pursue many of the same conservative techniques listed above during their rehabilitation.
For the vast majority of patients, one of these methods tends to lead to a full recovery or a reduction in pain and related symptoms. We also work to give you the tools to help prevent problems from coming back in the future so that back pain doesn’t return. We’ve never met a patient who we’ve been completely unable to help, and we doubt that you’ll be the first. One way or another, we can help make your life a little more bearable if you’re dealing with constant or extreme back pain.
To learn more about how we can help, or to take the first step in your recovery journey, pick up the phone and call Dr. Sinicropi’s office today at (651) 430-3800.
