If you suffer from severe back pain and fear that surgery may be necessary, or if surgery has been recommended and you question the wisdom of it, you may want to try some non-surgical physical treatments first.
Unless your back pain is due to an infection, malformation of the back, or tumor, some type of physical treatment can probably help it. Lets look at a few of the more popular and effective types of treatment.
Chiropractic Therapy
Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be most effective when applied within 2 months of the onset of back pain. Chiropractors realign the spine, increase the range of motion in back muscles, increase the flexibility of spinal soft tissue, break down scar tissue, and reduce pressure from constricted and misaligned spinal joints, all of which help to relieve pain. Usually treatment takes around 15 minutes 3 times a week at first. Over a few weeks sessions decrease until you are on a maintenance program of once a month or even “come come only if it hurts.”
Acupuncture
Studies by the National Institutes of Health show that acupuncture is very effective in treating back pain. According to the theory...