Pain Management for Chronic Back Pain

Two out of three adults experience back pain at least once in their lives. Most back pain usually goes away with ice, heat, light activity, and time. Other kinds of back pain require ongoing evaluation and targeted treatment.

Whether your back pain is acute (sudden) or chronic (continuous), doctors in the Sutter Health network offer a comprehensive range of science-backed, nonsurgical pain management treatments. With guidance and care from your healthcare providers, you can successfully manage your back pain for a better quality of life.

Determining the Type of Back Pain

Treatment and management of back pain begins with determining what kind of back pain you’re experiencing. These are some questions your doctor may ask you:

• What kind of pain is it? Is it sharp/shooting/aching/burning pain?
• Where exactly is your back pain coming from? Where does it radiate?
• How long have you been experiencing this back pain?
• Do you recall what you were doing when you first noticed the pain?
• How bad is the pain you’re experiencing?
• What do you do to relieve the pain? What makes it worse?

Your doctor may ask you to place your pain on a scale of 1 to 10, test your range of mobility, and discuss how the pain is affecting your day-to-day life.

Diagnosing Back Pain

Depending on the severity of pain, your doctor may order tests to rule out or confirm what’s causing your back pain. Here are some types of tests commonly used to help diagnosis.

1. X-rays – This can help diagnose fractures, breaks, spinal misalignment, and wear and tear due to aging.
2. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) – By scanning cross sections of your body, this can help detect damage to soft tissues, ligaments, nerve roots and spinal discs.
3. CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) Scan – By creating 3D images of the back, these scans help locate damage in the spinal canal.
4. Blood Tests – These can help determine if you have a medical issue causing symptoms like inflammation in your back.

At-Home Treatments for Back Pain

Sometimes, back pain can be managed with simple lifestyle changes and treatments that can be done at home.

• Basic first aid, such as heat or ice.
• Low impact activity such as walking and gentle stretching.
• Over-the-counter pain medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Non-Surgical Treatments for Back Pain

If the cause of your back pain requires a little more care, your doctor may recommend the following non-surgical treatments.

• Short-term medications, such as opioid painkillers or muscle relaxants.
• Physical therapy.
• Spinal steroid injections.
• Spinal cord stimulation.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).

Surgical Treatment for Back Pain

When all other treatments don’t relieve your back pain, your doctor may recommend surgery. However, this will come after very careful review of your pain and medical history, after your surgeon weighs all possible risks and benefits. Here are some types of surgeries for back pain.

• Disc repair and removal.
• Foraminotomy.
• Kyphosis correction.
• Scoliosis correction.
• Spinal stenosis.

Rehabilitation

Some patients may require rehabilitation to relieve pain and regain mobility. Doctors may recommend this with or without surgery.  At Sutter, rehabilitation involves a holistic approach to pain management, including educating patients how to move their body safely, and how to practice healthy habits. Rehabilitation for back pain may include the following:

• Acupuncture.
• Chiropractic care.
• Diet programs.
• Exercises regimen focusing on core stabilization.
• Integrative massage.
• Stress-management counseling.

Often, a combination of therapies offers the best approach. Talk with your doctor about which treatments meet your specific needs.