Management of back pain: Medication or surgery

 By Dr VEMU SUDHIR

MEDICATIONS may be prescribed for back pain. 

Anti-inflammatory agents reduce swelling while relieving pain.

Physiotherapy to relieve back pain

To help relieve your back pain, you may have to go to physiotherapy. 

There, a physiotherapist will work with you to restore movement and help your body heal. The therapist may also teach you about ways to minimise pain in the future.

Physiotherapy includes both passive and active treatments. Passive treatments help to relax you and your body. 

They are called passive because you do not have to actively participate. Your physiotherapy programme may start with passive treatments as your body heals, but the goal is to get into active treatments. 

These are therapeutic exercises that strengthen your body and help prevent a recurrence of back pain.

Surgery for back pain

You may be fearful of back surgery, but in fact, only 5% of people need surgery to treat back problems. 

Your pain may be severe, but most sprains and strains do not require surgery. Surgery is reserved for the most severe cases of back pain (spinal cord impingement, structural deformity, severe cases of spinal stenosis).

Surgery is considered only after you have tried several months of non-surgical treatment. 

Many surgical procedures can be performed using open spinal surgeries and minimally invasive techniques – meaning less “cutting” or entering the body. These techniques result in smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, less pain after surgery, and a faster recovery.

Hopefully after reading this article you can manage their back pain with the help of doctors and physiotherapists. 

• Dr Vemu Sudhir is the orthopaedic surgeon at the Pacific International Hospital