Exploring Health Concerns and Treatments

As you climb out of bed every morning, you are greeted with devastating lower back pain.  During your lunch break, you start dreading the long painful drive home.  If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, consider trying the following 2 pain management options.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

If you are seeking a relatively painless alternative treatment for your lower back problem, you should consider transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, TENS.  This type of treatment eases lower back pain by sending a small amount of electrical charge through your body.  In addition to lower back pain, medical professionals use TENS to treat:

• Knee pain

• Neck issues

• Labor pain

• Cancer related discomfort

Regardless of what kind of condition you are utilizing TENS treatment for, two tiny wires will be taped to your skin.  They are usually placed in the area where you are experiencing the most excruciating pain.  These wires are connected to a small machine.  This battery operated device will send the electric shock through the wires into your body.

As the electricity reaches your skin, your muscles may start to relax.  As this phenomenon takes place, you might start to experience less lower back pain.  Medical experts are divided about how TENS relieves pain.  Plausible explanations for the reduced pain include:

• Your body begins to make endorphins, your body's own pain blockers, as a result of TENS treatment.

• This type of treatment transmits signs to your brain that effectively obstruct the recognition of pain signals.

Initially, TENS treatment should be completed at a medical facility such as a pain management center.  However, with the correct training, you can eventually use a TENS machine in the comfort of your own home.

Exercise

In years past, physicians recommended complete bed rest for lower back pain patients.  However, today's doctors feel that stretching exercises are one of the most effective ways to solve lower back pain.  The reason stems from exercising's uncanny way of improving your ability to tolerate pain.

If you are a chronic lower back pain sufferer, you should seek a doctor's opinion before beginning any type of exercise program.  During a consultation with your physician, he or she might recommend that you:

• Lie flat on your back on the floor.  Lift your right knee to your chest.  Secure both hands around your knee and hold the move for 20 seconds.  Slowly lower your leg to the floor.  Complete 2 more repetitions.  Follow the same procedure with the left knee.

• Lie flat on your back on the floor.  Lift both knees to your chest.  Secure both hands around your knees and hold the stretch for 20 seconds.  Slowly lower your legs to the floor.  Complete 2 more repetitions.

• While lying flat on your back on the floor, bend your knees.  With your knees bent, pivot your hips to the right side.  Your right leg should rest on the floor with your left leg situated on top of the right one.  Hold the move for 20 seconds.  Complete 2 more repetitions before following the same procedure on the opposite side.

• While sitting on the edge of a chair, reach your arms down and place your palms flat on the floor.  If you are unable to complete this move, you can simply rest your hands around your ankles.  Hold the move for 10 seconds.  Complete 10 to 15 repetitions each day.

If you are putting off enjoyable activities due to chronic lower back pain, you need to get your life back.  With a combination of TENS therapy and exercise, many back patients are able to gain freedom from constant discomfort.  If you would like to learn more about these treatment options and other pain relieving alternatives, make an appointment with a trusted physician at a nearby pain institute today.

Check out sites like http://illinoispain.com for more information.