After a car accident, you had your doctor examine you for injuries. You learned you suffered a back injury, and the pain never seems to stop. How do you find relief?
Johns Hopkins Medicine explores chronic back pain treatments. Learn how to address your agony without surgery.
Meditation and mindfulness
Other than physical pain, you may also deal with mental and emotional pain triggered by your back injury. To address anxiety, depression or stress stemming from the accident, your doctor or rehabilitation psychologist may recommend meditation and mindfulness practices. With these strategies, you could keep your mind off your discomfort.
Physical therapy
Talk to your doctor about physical therapy exercises to reduce back pain. It makes sense to let your doctor or physical therapist work with you to develop a treatment plan. By performing physical therapy exercises on your own without consulting a medical professional, you do not know if those movements help or worsen your pain. The same exercises do not work for everyone.
Diet
Your current diet may contribute to your pain by triggering inflammation. Such foods include processed foods, refined sugars and foods with a lot of trans fats. Other than changing your diet, your doctor may also recommend losing weight to lessen the pressure on your spine.
Injection treatments
Epidural steroid injections, nerve blockers and nerve ablations are examples of injection treatments that address lingering back pain. Your medical team may suggest them once they uncover the source of your back pain.
You do not deserve to suffer because of another person’s negligence. You deserve treatment that helps you live pain-free and supports your recovery.