Back pain is a very common occurrence for many people of different ages, gender and race. Although not all people experience severe back pain, there are certain individuals who do mainly because of their line of work, age and their diets. Severe back pain treatment is usually recommended or prescribed by doctors for their patients after correct diagnosis. Severe back pain treatment may differ according to what the cause of the pain is and where it is located.

An individual's back has several areas and the most common area for back pain is the lower back. Lumbago is a general term for acute back pain in the lumbar area. Other areas like the cervical, thoracic and pelvic areas may also experience some pain but these may not be as frequent as that of the lower back. Severe back pain treatment for the lower back and the upper back may be natural. Back pain treatment options vary according to the degree of pain, the location of the pain and the cause of the pain.

Pain Relief

The first thing that doctors usually recommend for severe back pain treatment is medication. This form of severe back pain treatment usually starts with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and may elevate to opioids when the initial severe back pain treatment does not seem to work so well. Muscle relaxant drugs may also work as severe back pain treatment but there are some studies that indicate there are undesirable side effects of prolonged use of these kinds of drugs. Many doctors do not recommend prolonged use of muscle relaxants due to this fact.

The application of moist heat can also help to alleviate the pain and discomfort felt by the individual. Moist heat means a soak in an above average warm bath for about twenty minutes or more can help. If a bath tub is unavailable, the application of warm compresses can also help as severe back pain treatment. Cold compresses may have some effect for some people but they are not as helpful as hot or warm compresses.

Other severe back pain treatment options are passive exercises which will help to make the strained muscles limber and less stiff. There are several number of passive exercises that can help with loosening up stiff muscles. Physical therapy is also another severe back pain treatment that is similar to passive exercises. Massage is also a severe back pain treatment possibility as long as it is started slowly without aggravating the severity of the back pain.