What are some treatment options for lower back pain?
If lower back pain is cramping your lifestyle, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that 31 million Americans are experiencing lower back pain at this very moment. Back pain might even be called a silent epidemic: it’s one of the most common reasons for doctor’s visits and the reason behind 264 million lost work days every year.
The back is made up of a complicated arrangement of bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments that can be injured or worn down with age. You might be an athlete that’s stretching your capabilities every day and end up straining a muscle or ligament (one of the most common causes of lower back pain). Or you might be experiencing normal wear and tear with age—for example, a disc between two vertebrae can degenerate with time through no fault of your own. Other conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, sciatica, abnormal spine curvatures, or even arthritis and fibromyalgia may be the key factor underlying your lower back pain.
Leaving lower back pain untreated may be dangerous in some particular cases, so it’s important to consult a doctor who can make a diagnosis and create a treatment plan. We recommend several types of therapies for lower back pain: