On any given day, about 30 million people in the United States are experiencing back pain. It’s the world’s leading cause of disability, and the worse news of all is that experts estimate nine out of 10 people who suffer from it don’t even really understand what’s causing their discomfort. Whether you’re suffering from upper back pain, lower back pain, neck pain, or all three, B3 Medical can help.
Upper Back Pain? 5 Reasons to Seek Non-Surgical Pain Relief
Pain is no fun, and it’s completely understandable that sometimes doctors and their patients rush to relieve it without taking time to understand the root cause. But this can lead to drug dependence, unnecessary and expensive surgeries, and it may never actually treat the root cause of the problem. So why seek non-surgical pain relief?
1. To Build Core Strength
Back pain can be caused and exacerbated by poor posture and weak muscles in the body’s core. Without a strong core, you don’t have the muscle strength you need to hold your spine in a healthy position, and you don’t enjoy the mobility and flexibility you need to ensure you can move, work, and play safely.
Non-surgical back pain interventions can take many forms, but they often involved prescribed exercises that will get you the powerful core you need to support your back (and the rest of your body). Combining these exercises with other non-surgical interventions can produce amazing results in relieving your pain and helping you feel lively and flexible again.
2. To Address Inflammation
It’s often the nerves in our back that cause us pain, and back surgery is sometimes prescribed as a way to relieve that pressure: usually by moving, fusing, or otherwise manipulating the bones. But inflammation can be caused by many things, meaning your back pain could be a symptom rather than the core health issue you’re dealing with.
Daily life, work, family relationship, physical stress, disease: these can all cause systemic inflammation. Inflammation is simply the way our bodies are made to respond to injury or disease, and it’s important to get at the bottom of the problem and find out what’s going on. At B3 Medical, we don’t just try to mask your inflammation for short-term relief. Instead, we work with you to understand what’s really going on and provide long-term, effective solutions.
3. To Stay In the Game
Back surgery is life-changing. All surgery comes with a risk of complications, and back surgery has even more risks than other types of surgery. Even some back surgeons themselves admit that there’s no way to accurately predict who will get better from major back surgery and who won’t. In fact, some people get much worse after surgery! Even those who do experience relief often find that it doesn’t last.
Even if you’re one of those people who gets a good result from your back surgery, it’s still going to take you out of commission for a long time. You’ll spend one to three days in the hospital and several weeks severely curtailing your daily activities to protect your back. Some people may be able to go back to more-or-less normal activities six to eight weeks after surgery. For others, however, it takes several months. Non-surgical solutions are far less traumatic and don’t get in the way of life like surgery does.
4. To Save Money
Back surgery is an expensive proposition. This can’t be done as an outpatient procedure, and it requires a surgeon with extensive expertise. For those not covered by health insurance, back surgeries routinely run from $50,000 to $150,000.
Even for those who have insurance, out-of-pocket expenses, co-insurance requirements, and deductibles can easily run close to $10,000. And beyond the surgery itself, there can be many other things that must be paid for. You may need to buy a back brace, pay for physical therapy sessions, pay for prescriptions, and perhaps even pay for someone to help around the house or run errands for months as you recover.
5. To Get Relief When Surgery Isn’t an Option
For some people, surgery isn’t an option. Surgery is risky, and some people are simply not in good enough health to risk it. This is especially an issue for many older patients, though this is always determined on a case-by-case basis. Frailty, obesity, or underlying conditions can all make you ineligible for surgical interventions.
The good news is that non-surgical interventions for back pain are still an option, and in many cases, these can actually improve your overall health and even weight issues. Once your pain is relieved, for instance, moving (and thus losing weight) can become much easier. Exercises to strengthen your core may also help to lower blood pressure and stress or improve your overall strength.
Non-Surgical Pain Relief
If you’re suffering from upper back pain, we can offer a wide variety of non-surgical interventions, including:
Chiropractic Care
Our chiropractors can adjust your body until it’s back into natural alignment. In many cases, this gives your body the strength it needs to heal itself without any risky surgeries.
Platelet-Rich Plasma
PRP therapy can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies. This treatment uses your body’s own growth and healing factors to accelerate healing in areas where it’s needed.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is designed to give you the strength and mobility you need to relieve chronic pain and get back to a full, active life.
Neuromuscular Therapy
This therapy takes a targeted approach to focus on areas where you’re feeling pain. This can provide long-term relief, even when other interventions have failed.
Don’t Suffer Any Longer
If you’re experiencing upper back pain and have been told you need surgery, come see us at B3 Medical today. We can help you get real relief without risky surgery or prescription drugs, and we will work with you till you’re back to living the life you love.
