back pain – can we completely depend on painkillers?

can we completely depend on painkillers for back pain?

If you have lower back pain, you are not alone. Nearly everyone at some point has faced back pain that interferes with work, daily activities, or recreation. In India, occurrence of lower back pain is alarming, almost 60% of the population has it. The most common cause of job-related disability is a leading contributor of people taking leaves from job.

This article is written to spark a light on the following questions.

• Can we totally rely on Medicines to cure “Back Pain”?
• Does this medicine really cure the root cause of pain?

This reading will also give the real picture about pain killers and what can be done to cure the root cause of backpain.

facts about painkillers

1. Pain killers are common medicines prescribed by your Physician when you are in Pain.
2. There are three main types of painkiller: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), paracetamol, and opioids. Each works in a different way.
3. Most people only need to take painkillers for a few days or weeks at most.

how can painkillers help?

1. Painkillers reduce pain by stopping pain signals going to your brain.
2. We know that paracetamol helps with pain. But there haven’t been any good-quality studies looking at how well it works for long-term back pain.
3. Studies on opioid painkillers haven’t clearly shown that they help. But overall, the research on these drugs isn’t very factual, so it’s hard to say whether they help with long-term back pain or not. One study of an opioid called tramadol found that it reduced pain and helped people get back to their usual activities.

do painkillers have side effects? 

As with all medicines, there are a number of side effects that have been reported with each of the different painkillers. You may expect to have following side effects due to these medicines.

• Nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and constipation
• Chances of damaging the liver from lesser to greater extent
• Breastfeeding babies might have harmful effects if their mothers are taking some of the pain killers
• Risk of being addictive
• Allergic reactions such as hives and itches

do painkillers cure back pain?

Pain killers cannot provide complete relief of pain. It may reduce but not eliminate pain; it can’t actually heal a back injury. Most of us do not realize the importance of tissue healing and we keep on taking pain killers to reduce the symptoms and get back to work with painless though unhealed back which is more prone for injury thereafter.

Now the question is “What is better to eliminate the symptoms or the cause of pain?”

Treating actual cause of back pain is as important as relieving pain. Pain killers are only recommended for short term relief and with acute pain but it will not cure the root cause of the pain. A long term solution would be opening an window to exercise with less pain which will help you recover.

few tips to recover from back pain

1. Exercise your back

Exercising is the most effective way to keep your back healthy and strong. Exercise is good for pain management. When you exercise, the body produces endorphins which are natural chemicals that inhibit pain signals to the brain. Second, it strengthens your back. It’s important to work closely with your doctor or a physical therapist to create a progressive exercise program that helps deal with the pain instead of leaving you feeling worse because you pushed yourself too hard in exercising. Besides, there are many yoga postures to reduce back pain.

2. Work Ergonomics

50% of the cases we see daily are Mechanical Back Pain; this comes due to wrong postures and stressing your back more while working. Simply assuming correct posture will eliminate your pain for sure. You should adopt few habits to maintain healthy office ergonomics.

3. Healthy food habits

As most patients are well aware, good nutrition and a balanced diet are important components of overall health. What may surprise people with back problems is that diet, nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight also play a major role – including preventing many problems and healing from injuries? The bones, muscles and other structures in the spine need good nutrition and vitamins so that they are strong enough to support the body and to perform their other functions. For example adding milk to daily meal will help to prevent osteopania and osteoporosis which are again leading cause of back pain in older population.

Besides, physiotherapy act fruitful in recovering from backpain. If you are looking for physiotherapy for backpain, get it from Portea. You can now book a physio appointment on the go via Portea website.