Is There Medicine For Back Pain?




Is There Medicine For Back Pain?

Back pain is such a common affliction so it is little wonder that there are a myriad of drugs available. Medicine for back pain varies greatly in terms of both ingredients and the delivery method.

Pharmaceutical Drugs

Most manufactured, pharmaceutical drugs for back pain are not designed specifically for the back. Instead, they work systematically on the body or in the directly targeted area of choice.

First line medicines are pain relievers that generally belong to one of two categories: analgesic drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Analgesics like acetaminophen can work in a number of different ways (some of which are still not fully understood) but will generally cut off or at least diminish your pain.

Anti-inflammatory drugs work differently. By reducing the inflammation that is probably causing your back pain, the pain is therefore also reduced and/or eliminated.
These drugs are normally taken orally but can be applied directly in the form of a gel or cream. For example, you can rub ibuprofen gel into the lower back for pain relief or obtain special adhesive plasters that are designed to be wrapped around the back.

Stronger drugs are also available but these tend to be associated with side effects and a higher propensity to become addicted (e.g. opiates).

Chinese Medicine

Very few large scale trials investigating the effects of Chinese medicine on back pain have ever been conducted. Nevertheless, many people swear by herbs such as dipsacus and eucommia.

Exactly how such medicine actually works is open to debate although there is some anecdotal evidence that they can have anti-inflammatory and other properties.

Herbal Medicine

Like Chinese medicine, western herbal medicine for treatment of back pain is far from proven. However, some clinical trials have shown pain relief for patients when compared to placebo for herbs such as devil's claw, willow bark and cayenne. The long term effects on health of many herbal medicines are unknown.

Homeopathic

Homeopathy is perhaps the most controversial of all these medicines. It is a form of alternative medicine that uses heavily diluted preparations. Some critics argue that the only possible benefit that can be derived from such weak doses is the placebo effect.

There are a wide variety of homeopathic remedies that can be tried and the correct choice is said to depend on your specific type of back pain.

For example, if your back pain is brought on by stress then ignatia might work for you. On the other hand, if your back pain is located at the very bottom of your back and feels worse when standing up from a sitting position then aesculus may be able to help you.











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