Orthopedics-Online

Back Pain - What Can You Do?

General

Back pain is not uncommon in our lives and can have many causes. Patients who suffer from back pain therefore ask themselves: what to do?

What to do is closely related to the cause of the back pain. In order to find the right treatment, it is therefore first necessary to uncover the cause of the back pain.

In addition to general practitioners, the diagnosis and treatment are mainly Orthopedists, neurologists and neurosurgeons were also involved. Specialists from other disciplines can also be involved.

The most common causes include poor posture and improper stress caused by being overweight, poor posture or congenital malpositions.

Treatment of acute back pain

When to the doctor

If back pain occurs for the first time or if the pain suddenly changes, it is always advisable to consult a doctor promptly. This can cause serious and threatening diseases (e.g. Injuries, inflammations, tumors) can be excluded.

In particular, acute restrictions in mobility, sensory disturbances or changes in bowel movements or urination should lead to an immediate emergency consultation with a doctor.

It is best to think about how the existing back pain can best be described before the consultation. A pain diary, which can also be presented to the doctor, can be very helpful for documentation.

The following questions should be answered at the doctor's appointment:

How bad is the pain?
How is the pain (dull, stabbing, pulling, burning)?
Where is he strongest? Where is it radiating to?
Is the pain permanent? Does the intensity fluctuate?
How long has it existed? Was there a trigger for the pain? In which situations is the pain particularly severe?
What alleviates or aggravates the pain?
Are there any other symptoms?

The doctor can often make a suspected diagnosis through simple clinical tests, which is then confirmed by additional examinations (e.g. X-ray, CT or MRI of the spine).

Depending on the diagnosis, the specialist will then make recommendations on what to do next to alleviate the back pain. Possibly. This is followed by further examinations by other specialists until a final therapy recommendation can be made.

Appointment with a back specialist?

I would be happy to advise you!

Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
But now enough is indicated ;-)

The spine is difficult to treat. On the one hand it is exposed to high mechanical loads, on the other hand it has great mobility.

The treatment of the spine (e.g. herniated disc, facet syndrome, foramen stenosis, etc.) therefore requires a lot of experience.
I focus on a wide variety of diseases of the spine.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

You can find me in:

Lumedis - your orthopedic surgeon
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60311 Frankfurt am Main

Directly to the online appointment arrangement
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Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

What should you watch out for in pain therapy?

In the case of back pain, it is particularly important to start pain-relieving therapy at an early stage in order to avoid the pain becoming chronic and the formation of a pain memory. In addition, such a relieving posture with the subsequent development of pain in other joints should be prevented.

For pain therapy, a medication (pain reliever, possibly in combination with other substances) can be injected locally into the painful area or a pain reliever can be taken.

However, this pain medication should only be used temporarily. The goal of the doctor and patient must always be to find the cause of the back pain and treat it permanently.

If you are interested in this topic, our next article is available at: Painkillers - Indications, Contraindications & Side Effects

Read more detailed information on this topic under: Pain therapy for the back

What other measures are there?

Adequate exercise is important for back well-being and in many cases can prevent back pain.

If the back pain is rather light and dull, the cause is often a poor posture or incorrect load on the back. Sports and back exercises can help in a targeted manner.

If you are overweight, weight reduction often leads to a reduction in back pain. Sports such as walking, swimming and cycling are particularly gentle, but should be supplemented by targeted training of the back muscles.

However, if the back pain persists despite increased exercise, back training, etc., a doctor should be consulted.

Interested in Exercises for Back Pain Relief? Read more about this at: Exercises for back pain

Chronic back pain treatment

Is not a causal treatment (e.g. surgery) possible, the primary goal of therapy is pain relief. Here, methods from different disciplines can be tried in order to find the most effective individual concept. A combination of different forms of therapy can also be useful.

If you have any further interest in this topic, check out our next article below: Therapy of chronological back pain - what works best?

Medical methods for pain relief

In addition to conservative, orthopedic therapy with physiotherapeutic methods and pain therapy, psychotherapy can also help. She manages to release tension and relieve pain.

Specialized pain therapists should also be involved in the treatment of chronic pain.

There are also numerous offers in the field of alternative medicine that can help alleviate back pain. Homeopathy is another element in the therapy of back pain.

Tips for self-therapy

In the following you will find some tips with which back pain can be prevented through self-therapy and how pain can be alleviated.

Cold or heat treatments are simple ways to relieve back pain on your own. When lying down, the stepped positioning often improves the symptoms. To do this, lie on your back, your hips and knees are bent by 90 ° and your feet are on an elevation.

Pain-adapted movement is also important in order to prevent joints from stiffening or muscle breakdown. A course on the subject of "back school" is particularly suitable for this, where back-strengthening gymnastics and back-friendly behavior are learned, which can also be integrated into everyday life.

Endurance sports such as cycling, aqua fitness and walking, as well as special back exercises also help to build up the back muscles and correct poor posture.
The so-called blackroll can also help relieve back pain.

In order to build strong and healthy back muscles, you need some time and the desire to do something good for your own health.
I.Our next article will give you a few tips on how to do this: Back training - tips for a strong and healthy back

What drugs can help?

When back pain occurs, the question of the cause of it always arises. In the case of persistent back pain for no apparent cause, it is advantageous to consult a doctor.

The first measure in relieving back pain is usually a simple heat treatment and rest. If this has no effect, pain reliever medication is often used.

When taking the medication, however, it should always be kept in mind that this usually only leads to an improvement in the symptoms, but not the cause. If the pain persists for more than a week despite the pain medication, the cause should be looked for.

Medications used for back pain can come in different forms. On the one hand there are creams such as Voltaren pain gel, Diclo pain gel or the Kytta pain ointment.

The aim of these is to increase the blood flow to the muscles that have been creamed and thereby to warm them up. With damaged or tense muscles, this can lead to faster and more effective regeneration.

As an alternative to the creams, pain relievers can be taken in the form of tablets. Examples are ibuprofen or diclofenac. These serve to relieve pain from inside the body by intervening in the process that leads to the sensation of pain within the body.

There are also drug treatment options in which a mixture of drugs is injected into the area of a nerve root. How effective is this method and what complications can it cause?
Read more about this under: Periradicular Therapy

What home remedies for back pain are there?

Back pain can also be effectively alleviated with home remedies without resorting to pain medication. This includes warm baths, targeted massages and also herbal oils. The massages can help with tense muscles by relaxing. Herbal oils, especially lavender and peppermint oil, also help relax muscles.

In order to prevent possible back pain, a back-friendly workplace, knowledge of how to bend and lift correctly, and specific relaxation methods are also important.

Special exercises for back pain can be worked out together with a physiotherapist, for example. The main goal is to strengthen the back muscles and thus prevent back pain later on.

Yoga or mediation are also counted as preventive back training.

Are you interested in this topic? Then read our next article below: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Heat treatment for back pain

Back pain is often caused by tension in the muscles. If the muscles are overexcited, cramps occur, which in turn reduces blood flow.

The muscle is poorly supplied with oxygen, as a result of which simple metabolic mechanisms within the musculature suffer - tension develops that ultimately ends in pain. In order to relieve this tension, an attempt is made to increase the blood flow to the muscles and to relieve the cramps.

Warmth is an effective remedy. The warmth increases blood flow and thus improves the supply of oxygen to the muscles. The cramped and possibly damaged muscle can relax and, if necessary, regenerate.

This heat treatment can be achieved in different ways. On the one hand, heat creams, e.g. Voltaren or Diclo pain gel, a heat generation can be achieved. Alternatively, hot water bottles, heating pads, or warming belts can improve symptoms.

Back pain in pregnancy

Back pain during pregnancy is not uncommon. Well over half suffer from significant pain during pregnancy. However, to prevent these from becoming chronic beyond pregnancy and to alleviate the everyday discomfort, there are a few possibilities and exercises.

The weight of you and that of the baby leads to overstretching of the ligaments in the back area and fatigue of the muscles.

The body is not used to such a state of emergency. It is therefore important to keep fit and especially to strengthen the back muscles before the start of pregnancy. Light exercises to strengthen the back muscles can also be performed during pregnancy.

Read more about this under: Back training during pregnancy

If back pain does occur, massages or warmth are recommended. In addition to these usual tips, there are so-called protective belts especially for pregnancy, which can partially free the abdominal and back muscles from the baby's weight.

Aqua courses are also very helpful and a gentle way to strengthen the back muscles.

However, if the pain does not improve despite all the measures taken, a specialist should be consulted. Physiotherapy or massage can then be prescribed in special cases.

In the next article, Dr-Gumpert Team has prepared detailed information on this topic for you. Read it at: Back Pain During Pregnancy