Nobody wants to live with lower back pain. Back pain makes it difficult to sit, stand or do anything physically active. When you suffer from this kind of back pain, it’s time to seek treatment.

Lower back pain varies in severity, so treatments vary. Here is a look at some different treatments you can do on your own or that you may need to visit a professional for:

Home treatments for lower back pain

• Heating and cooling— Hot and cold therapy involves the alternating use of heating pads and cold packs. Cold packs help reduce swelling, inflammation and pain. Heating pads improve blood flow to the lower back and sooth the pain.
  
  Use cold packs on the painful area a couple of times a day for about 15 minutes each. After using cold packs for a few days, you can switch to heating. It’s important to follow this order because applying heat too soon can cause the inflammation to worsen.
  
  
• Diet — Some diets encourage the development of inflammation. Foods high in trans fats and refined sugars can contribute to inflammation. Reducing these foods from your diet can help lessen the severity of inflammation or prevent it from developing at all.
  
  Also, being overweight puts extra pressure on your spine, so you may need to diet for the sake of reducing this pressure.
  
  
• Lifestyle changes — An active lifestyle can keep the muscles in your back and core strong and flexible. This provides better support for your torso and spine, which can reduce back pain.

Professional treatments for lower back pain

• Prescription medication and drugs — Doctors can prescribe more powerful medications for your specific condition. They may also administer injections of anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids if your back pain is severe enough.
  
  
• Surgery — Sometimes, surgery is the best way to reduce back pain. There are several types of back pain surgery available for treating a variety of conditions. In general, surgery is the last resort for people with back pain since it’s invasive and includes many risks.
  
  
• Physical therapy — Physical therapy is often the preferred method of treatment for lower back pain. Physical therapists can treat back pain with techniques that do not involve incisions, medications or drugs.  

Visit Franklin Rehabilitation for lower back pain treatment

At Franklin Rehabilitation, our physical therapists are experienced in many different treatments for lower back pain. When you visit our clinics for back pain treatment, one of our team members will meet with you and evaluate your condition. This will help us determine which physical therapy methods are best for you, so we can customize your treatment. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.