Frisco Spine Clinic – Non-Surgical Treatments for Chronic Back Pain
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Many people fear Spine Clinics because they are afraid that a trip there means they will have to get spinal surgery. While it is true that spinal surgery can treat a wide variety of pain-causing spinal conditions, it is far from the only option available.
Most Spine Clinics, such as Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Texas (or MINT), do not recommend surgery right away. At MINT, your condition will first be carefully assessed by doing X-Rays and other diagnostic procedures to pinpoint the exact cause of your pain. After that, Dr. Scott Kutz (MD) and his team will work to find a treatment plan that works for you. A good spine clinic will work to exhaust all non-surgical options before suggesting surgery.
What kind of non-surgical options can treat chronic back pain? Read on to find out!
Physical therapy
Physical therapy is pain management and treatment using exercise under the guidance of trained physical therapists. Physical therapy is often the first treatment suggested for chronic back pain, as it involves no medication or surgery. Because of this, physical therapy is considered to be low-risk and high-gain. A good physical therapist will work with you to create exercises designed to relieve your chronic back pain. It can be very successful if the exercise routine is followed at home and in the physical therapist’s office.
There is no one-size-fits-all physical therapy treatment for chronic back pain. Still, exercises to improve your spinal condition may include stretching and flexibility, adjusting your posture, core strengthening, and improving pain tolerance.
Diet
In addition to physical therapy, a Frisco spine clinic may suggest changing your diet as part of the treatment plan to improve your chronic back pain. On the surface, these two things may seem unrelated, but a highly inflammatory diet can slow healing and worsen chronic pain in the body.
Lifestyle Changes
When it comes to chronic back pain, lifestyle changes can go a long way to improving your condition. If the patient is overweight, the doctor may suggest weight loss to take the pressure off the spine’s nerves. If the patient is a smoker, doctors may suggest quitting as nicotine increases pain and slows injury recovery.
In addition, people suffering from chronic pain must learn to adapt their lifestyle and not push themselves to do things they can no longer do. Paying close attention to what causes your back pain to flare up and avoiding it can not only lessen pain but help doctors identify the cause of the pain.
Injection-Based Spine Treatments
If none of the above treatments seem effective and the source of your pain is known, your Neurosurgeon may suggest injection-based spine treatments. These treatments are medications that, under the care of your Neurosurgeon, will be injected directly into the pain-causing portion of your spine. Injections include epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and other pain-lessening injection treatments. If you do not know the source of pain in your spine, these treatments can help eliminate possible options. However, injections are short-term solutions, usually used with other long-term treatments.
Medication Management
Medication is a popular treatment for chronic back pain. Medications can include anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, muscle relaxants, and more. However, this treatment comes at a cost–these drugs can have side effects, and some are even addictive. Ask about possible side effects if you and your doctor decide to try to manage your chronic back pain with medication. In addition, many of these drugs are not designed to be taken for long periods of time, so ask your doctor what kind of alternative treatments are available once you can no longer use medication.
Alternative Treatments
There are new and exciting non-surgical treatments available for chronic back pain. These include medical massage, acupuncture, electrical nerve stimulation, and more. If you are suffering from stubborn chronic back pain, ask your neurosurgeon about exploring some of these non-surgical treatments.
Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Texas Frisco Spine Clinic
If you are experiencing chronic back pain in Frisco Texas, consider visiting Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Texas. Neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Kutz and his team will work with you in creating a treatment and pain management plan that meets your needs. For the convenience of their patients, MINT takes most major insurance and even offers telehealth visits from the comfort of your home! Give MINT a call or check out the website, and take the first step towards living a pain-free life!
