How To Manage Back Injuries

Back injuries have a straightforward nature, in the sense that they always involve pain. Symptoms include pain in the back muscles, pain and numbness on one side of the body, pain across the arms and the legs, and pain after a certain movement. After diagnosis, you have to manage your back injury for quick and complete recovery. Here are some ways to do so.

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Where there is swelling, cold compress should follow. This helps reduce inflammation and relieve the pain within the first 48 hours of an injury. You should apply this 20 minutes at a time. You can also alternate warm compress and cold compress to lessen inflammation and to restore your range of motion. 

Unless your doctor prescribes bed rest, you should avoid staying still for extended periods of time. You should move, even amid slight discomfort. Movement improves blood circulation while reducing one’s natural motions can increase the pain. 

After an injury, you should be more conscious of your posture. When working, make sure you have good lumbar support when sitting down. Avoid poor posture. For women who suffer from periodic back pains, avoid wearing heels since this creates tension and stress in the lower back. If you need to wear them to work during meetings, bring them along but wear comfortable footwear when you don’t need to use the heels. 

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Dr. Karl Jawhari, DC is a certified Health Coach by the U.S. Wellness Chamber of Commerce and the founder of Core Integrative Health and Dallas Spine and Disc. He established these centers to provide medical solutions and relief to thousands of Americans who are living with chronic pain. For more reads and reviews on back injuries, visit this website.

Common treatment options for sciatica

It is estimated that four in ten people will experience sciatica at least once in their lifetime. Sciatica is a condition wherein the sciatic nerve, the largest and longest nerve in the body that passes from the lower spine to each upper leg, gets irritated. The pain it causes ranges from constant to causing difficulty standing up or walking. 

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There are various treatment options medical professionals or specialists recommend to sciatica patients, depending on the underlying cause and intensity of the pain. The most common are the following: 

Medication: If the pain is not that severe and the cause is not serious, oral medication can be taken, including pain reliever, muscle relaxant, or even antidepressant. In some cases, epidural injections are also applied to reduce inflammation. 

Chiropractic manipulation: Spinal adjustments can be made using chiropractic manipulation conducted by trained health professionals. The purpose is to provide better spinal column alignment so that the condition can heal faster. 

Therapy: If the symptom persists for a few weeks, physical therapy may be recommended to reduce the pain and to prevent its recurrence. Cognitive behavior therapy is also beneficial to manage a self-defeating mindset. 

Spinal decompression: This relatively new treatment involves a computer-controlled machine that gently stretches the spine to relieve it of pressure and introduce nutrients and fluid into degenerated and injured discs. 

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Dr. Karl Jawhari, DC specializes in innovative solutions to chronic pain that are backed by years of research and reviews. He is also the founder of Core Integrative Health, a firm that consists of a compassionate and well-rounded team of medical professionals, office staff, and treatment therapists. To read more about chronic pain, check out this blog.