Rehabilitation And Back Pain

Moving On After Back Injury

By Jarrett Kruse

Back injury can be debilitating, and successful rehabilitation requires a program that offers not only back pain therapy, but strengthening that will prevent future back pain. Comprehensive back pain rehabilitation may be outpatient or residential, depending on the severity of the injury. In any case, it usually includes back pain exercises, back pain medicine, and possibly other therapies such as chiropractics, physical therapy, or ultrasound. The goal is not only to relieve back pain for the short term, but to strengthen back muscles, improve range of motion, and increase flexibility to reduce ongoing back pain. While minor back pain may only require an aspirin now and then, major back requires comprehensive treatment.

The goal of rehabilitation from back injury is to get you up, moving, and back to normal life as soon as possible. In the case of serious injury, such as that which requires surgery, that can be a long process. After spinal surgery, a stay in a rehabilitation facility, where all aspects of recovery are addressed, may be critical. In other cases, prescribed therapies are administered on an outpatient basis. In either case, some or all of these elements may be present as part of a rehabilitation program:

Physical therapy. This is a crucial part of most rehabilitation. physical therapy frequently includes the skill of the therapist in administering care such as physical manipulation, ultrasound, or electronic stimulation. It should also include exercises for you to do at home to improve your condition.
Medication. Prescription medication may be indicated to control pain or inflammation. the goal of using medication should be to get beyond it if possible by strengthening the back itself.
Other pain or therapeutic treatments. Chiropractics, acupuncture, and other therapies may be part of comprehensive rehabilitation to deal with pain and realignment of the back to avoid future injury.