Back pain is a problem that many people suffer from, with low back pain being the most common. Up to 80% of the people in the world either have had it or will have it at some time in their life. Low back pain can be chronic, lasting more than three months or acute, which is pain that lasts less than three months. Although acute low back pain is less serious than chronic low back pain, the feeling of pain can be just as severe. Acute low back pain treatment should begin as soon as your realize your pain is lasting more than a day.
Low Back Pain is so common in the United States, that it is the most common ailment forcing people to see a doctor. It is also the main reason for people under the age of 45 to become disabled. It is a large cost for health care as well as time lost from work. Often with the correct acute low back pain treatment beginning at the onset of the problem, the low back pain can be remedied quickly before it gets out of hand, causing more discomfort, time and money.
The acute low back pain treatment consists of many different methods. In most of the cases, the treatment is successful and the patient is back to normal within a month. Acute low back pain can develop over-night or come on suddenly if we bend or twist the wrong way, or lift something too heavy. Most of the time it comes because of us overworking our back muscles in some way or another. Our back is made up of a group of individual parts (disc, ligaments, vertebrae, muscles, etc.) that all work together as a whole. When we injure one of the parts, it will affect the entire back.
The first acute low back pain treatment that should be given is ice on the injured area. This is very beneficial in preventing swelling and prolonging or worsening the pain. Applying ice for 5 to 15 minutes every 2 or 3 hours is usually sufficient and should take place for the first day or two. Over-the-counter medications such as Advil, Tylenol or ibuprofen will help with the pain during this period. Remember to only take the required dosage of such OTC pain killers. Otherwise, taking more than the recommended dosage will put you and your body in danger. As an option, you may want to explore all-natural pain relievers like Heal-N-Soothe or Rub-On-Relief. After the first couple days if the pain is still present, heat can be applied as an acute low back pain treatment.
Most people don’t like going to see a doctor and will avoid it as long as possible. Many times after these first couple of days of this acute low back pain treatment, relief is in sight and seeing a doctor is unnecessary. If however, you see no improvement after this time, seeing a doctor should be a requirement. The first thing the doctor will do is make sure there is not some other underlying problem such as cancer, injury to the spine or some genetic back problem.
It’s almost a sure thing that your doctor will give you a prescription to see a physical therapist for acute low back pain treatment. Many people don’t like seeing a physical therapist, because it is often painful. However, at this point the basic treatment for your low back pain hasn’t helped, so your back needs the kind of work that only a therapist can do.
