Backache? Try Out Methods That Do Not Require Medication First
You wake up … and you can not move through the pain in the cross.
You did not throw yourself on the bed – at least last night – and yet, for some reason, something jumped in your spine.
At some point in your life 80% of us will experience some form of back pain – worse if you have no idea what causes it.
In the past, regardless of the cause, the therapeutic solution was over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. Swallow a few and everything will be back to normal, right?
However, it turned out that the case is not so easy, especially when it comes to pain in the cross. We, doctors of integration medicine, have been talking about this for some time. And currently belonging to the mainstream American College of Physicians (ACP) also agrees with us.
Pain in the cross – popular therapies
New guidelines on how to relieve back pain do not include the use of drugs. Instead, they show some of the non-drug-inducing therapies that have been promoted for years by doctors like me.
Pain in the cross is one of the most difficult problems to cure, because it can have a variety of causes. Stretching the muscles will react to the therapy differently than the pain caused by inflammation.
The basis for the new guidelines is the growing amount of evidence that shows relief in short-term pain, lasting less than 12 weeks, can bring therapies such as hot compresses, massage, acupuncture and spine adjustment.
Such a natural approach can also moderately restore the lost functions of the spine.
Even if the pain persists for more than three months, ACP continues to recommend therapies that do not require medication. First of all, you can do exercises, acupuncture, yoga or tai chi. It is also important to reduce the level of stress using mindfulness and controlled relaxation techniques.
The new guidelines differ significantly from previous ones, which were recommended by acetaminophen (i.e., Tylenol) as first-line therapy. Secondly, NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin) and opioids (OxyContin, Vicodin) were selected.
But recent studies have shown that neither acetaminophen nor NSAIDs are clinically effective in treating the majority of lower back pain cases! Even opioids have only a minimal effect and are associated with the risk of addiction and accidental overdose.
Therefore, pharmaceutical painkillers should only be used as a last resort.
Pain in the cross – natural methods
So if you wake up, feeling pain in your spine – do not reach for medication, at least not immediately. (Most acute spine pains improve over time, regardless of the therapy used).
From all new guidelines, I recommend trying yoga classes. They combine gentle physical movements with breathing and meditation. Studies have shown that they both help reduce back pain and improve its performance.
If descending to the “dog with head down” position is too difficult, there are other, simpler ways to deal with the problem. Acupuncturist, massage therapist or chiropractic will help.
Because I am a certified acupuncturist myself, I have often observed how this traditional Chinese therapy brings pain relief to my patients.