|
Back
to Education
1.
Medications
for treating back pain include:
2. Conservative Treatments - Physical Therapy
Medications
for treating back pain include:
STEROIDS:
Cortisone, Prednisone, Methylprednisone (Medrol Dose Pack), Triamcinolone
(Kenalog), Celestone, Depomedrol.
NSAIDs
(Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs):
Celebrex, Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), Naproxen (Aleve),
Diclofenac, Voltaren, Daypro, Indomethicin (Indocin).
OPIATES:
Vicodin, Tylenol #3, Tylenol #4, Percocet (Oxycodone and Tylenol),
Norco, Lorcet (Hydrocodone and Tylenol), Lortab, Darvocet (Propoxyphene
and Tylenol), MS Contin, Oxycontin, Duragesic Patch (Fentanyl).
Adjuvant
Medications are drugs that have primary indications other than pain,
but can be extremely useful for some painful conditions. They include:
MUSCLE
RELAXANTS:
Skelaxin, Robaxin, Soma, Flexeril, Baclofen, Zanaflex.
ANTIDEPRESSANTS:
Elavil, Pamelor, Paxil, Effexor, Prozac, Zoloft, Cymbalta.
ANTICONVULSANTS:
Neurontin, Lyrica, Tegretol
TOPICAL
ANESTHETICS:
Lidoderm Patch
HYPNOTICS:
Ambien, Lunesta, Restoril
back
to top
Conservative Treatments - Physical Therapy
Modalities
Hot packs, cold packs, ultrasound, iontophoresis, electrical stimulation,
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Neuromuscular
Electrical Stimulation (NMES).
Traction
Traction is performed for temporary relief of neck and back pain.
Small amounts of weight are placed to create distraction forces
in order to relieve pain and spasm.
Myofascial
Release
This involves hands-on techniques that are somewhat similar to deep
tissue massage. It is sometimes uncomfortable but is often helpful
in reducing pain and spasm.
Postural
Education
One of the keys to preventing re-injury to the spine is education.
Posture is a very important factor in avoiding a relapse of a spinal
injury. During initial phases of physical therapy visits, patients
receive instructions on proper posture.
Body
Mechanics
This is another vital part of spine education. The average person
does a great deal of bending, lifting and possibly twisting on any
given day. These movements are commonly associated with the onset
of back pain or sciatic symptoms. Therapists give instruction on
proper ways to perform these activities and also point out movements
that should be avoided at all times. It is important to continue
to follow proper body mechanics after the injury and throughout
the rest of your life.
Stretching
and Stabilization
There are a number of exercises for the spine. Most of them require
no special equipment and can be performed on the floor either with
a therapist or at home. They include stretching and stabilization
exercises, which produce low amounts of stress and strain at the
point of injury, yet help greatly with proper alignment and stabilization
of the spine.
Resistance
Training
Once a patient is showing improvement of pain and adequate efficiency
of the basic stretches and stabilization exercises, it is time to
move on to the more intense muscle building routines. These include
use of weight machines specifically designed to focus on the back,
abdominal and oblique muscles. During this phase, it is extremely
important that a patient uses the proper technique with the machines
in order to avoid making the injury worse.
Aquatic
Therapy
In some patients, land based physical therapy may make symptoms
worse. These patients can often benefit from aquatic physical therapy,
which reduces the mechanical stress effects of gravity. Aquatic
therapy also helps with cardiac conditioning. Cardiac workload increases
by approximately three times once someone is submerged in water
up to his or her neck. This is due to an increase in efficiency
of blood return to the heart. Aquatic therapy allows you to get
the same cardiac benefit as doing approximately one-third of the
exercise. This, however, does not translate into improved fat burning.
back to top
|
