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You
can choose from a number of alternative therapies for treating your low back
pain. Some are short-term "repair" treatments, and others give you the
self-care tools for managing your back symptoms over a lifetime. Because many of
these treatments are new or not yet well researched, they may not be covered by
health insurance.
Comprehensive
rehabilitation programs
offer a variety of treatments and specialists. A comprehensive rehabilitation
program is considered one of the most effective approaches for treating chronic
low back pain, and may be your best bet for finding the right combination of
treatments.
Other
therapies for lower back treatment
Exercise
therapy for back pain is considered an effective approach for treating and
managing chronic low back pain. Daily activity and physical therapy exercises
can be effective in relieving back pain and can lead to long-term improvement
for low back pain. Also see:
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Cognitive-behavioral
therapy may reduce both acute and chronic low back pain and disability.
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Back
school is an educational program that has shown mixed results but is
considered likely to be beneficial for treating chronic low back pain.
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Intradiscal
electrothermic therapy (IDET) treats chronic low back pain related to a
damaged spinal disc.
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Spinal
cord stimulation may be used for some types of chronic pain when other
treatments have failed, but there is not strong evidence that it works.
Experimental
treatments
New
and experimental treatments are constantly being developed and offered to people
with low back pain. If you are considering such a treatment, be sure to ask your
doctor for the scientific evidence that shows the treatment's effectiveness and
safety, as well as the results of his or her own practice.
The
following therapies are experimental and not widely used. Research continues on
these therapies.
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Surgery
to replace a ruptured or herniated disc with an artificial disc has been
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Long-term studies
have not been done.
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Botulinum
toxin (Botox) injection may relax pain muscle spasms in the low back.
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Radiofrequency
ablation of nerves may reduce chronic low back pain in some people by
preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. It is sometimes used for
pain from problems with the small joints in the spine called facet joints.
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An
intrathecal pain pump is a small tube inserted under the skin and deeper
tissues along the midline of the back, which connects to a small reservoir
of medicine inserted under the skin of your belly. The medicine is regularly
delivered to the area of pain through the tube. This method of pain control
is not yet widely used, but results are promising.
Complementary
therapies and self-care
The
following complementary therapies are commonly used for relieving low back pain.
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Massage
may reduce low back pain, especially when combined with exercises and back
care education.
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Spinal
manipulation is likely to help either acute or chronic low back pain. While
they differ in their training, osteopaths, chiropractors, physiatrists, and
specially trained physical therapists can all perform spinal manipulation.
Spinal manipulation usually has its greatest impact after one treatment, so
multiple treatments are seldom necessary. Learn more about chiropractic and
spinal manipulation. One comparison has shown that people receiving
osteopathic manipulative treatment may need less medicine to control their
pain than those receiving standard treatment such as pain medicine and
physical therapy.
For
more information, see: Should
I have spinal manipulative therapy to treat low back pain?
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Biofeedback
has not been well studied as a treatment for low back pain. But recent
research has not shown that biofeedback is effective for controlling low
back pain.
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Acupuncture
may help decrease pain and increase activity. Some studies show that
acupuncture reduced pain and disability related to back problems more than
usual treatment. Another summary of several studies showed that acupuncture
reduced pain and increased the ability to be active, but not any more than
other treatments.
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Acupressure
uses pressure on certain points in the body to decrease symptoms. Small
studies suggest that acupressure reduces pain and allows a person to be more
active.
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Relaxation
techniques can help reduce muscle tension, stress, and depression.
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Yoga
is another way of staying active, while also helping with relaxation and
stress management. It is not clear whether yoga is more helpful than other
activity or treatment for low back pain.
There
are different types of yoga. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist
before you start a yoga program.
Reference
from Healthwise
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