Choosing Back Pain Medication
Back pain is something that most people suffer from
during their lifetime and it is one of the most common ailments that
send people to their doctor's office. There are a variety of medications
that can be used for back pain and if you are planning a trip to the
doctor here's some information on just which types of drugs you might be
prescribed.
In fact with severe enough pain it can be almost guaranteed that you
will be prescribed something to help relieve the pain for the simple
reason that it is important to your healing ability to keep moving
around. While heavy physical activity is not recommended for those with
back pain it is a good idea to stay mobile while recovering. The body
will heal much quicker this way.
Anti-inflammatory (NSAID's), acetaminophen, opioids, and muscle
relaxants are the most common back pain medications that are available
today. Which ones your doctor will recommend for you will depend on what
the problem is and the symptoms that accompany it.
Anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAID's, reduce inflammation,
swelling, and relieve pain. The more well known drugs in this group
include ibuprofen and aspirin, along with Ketoprofen and Naproxen.
Acetaminophen, better known as Tylenol, is an analgesic used to reduce
pain. Anacin-3 and Phenaphen are two other well known brands of
acetaminophen.
For extreme pain your doctor may prescribe an opioid such as codeine and
morphine. These are very powerful painkillers that need to be used with
caution because of their addiction potential. There is new research that
demonstrates that when these types of pain killers are used as
prescribed to fight pain they are not nearly as addictive as first
thought.
The last types of medication used for back pain are muscle relaxants.
Muscle spasms are one of the primary causes of acute back pain and are
generally caused by some sort of injury. When you back has an injury in
a certain location the muscles around that injury have to work harder to
compensate. This can cause muscle spasms which causes a lot of pain. A
muscle relaxant does just that, relaxes the muscles and brings the
spasms under control which leads to a reduction in pain. This is
important because until the muscles spasms are treated it's hard to get
other treatments to help the situation done.
The purpose of any back pain medication is obvious; to reduce the pain
so that healing can begin. But it is important to remember that just
because it doesn't hurt it doesn't mean the problem is fixed. Doing to
much physical activity while on pain killers can aggravate the injury
and make the healing process take much longer then it should.
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