Medical treatment of Lower back pain
Your doctor will
examine your back and assess your ability to sit, stand, walk and lift your
legs. Your doctor might also ask you to rate your pain on a scale of zero to 10
and talk to you about how well you're functioning with your pain.
Medications
Over-the-counter
(OTC) pain relievers.
Take these medications
only as directed by your doctor. Overuse can cause serious side effects. If OTC
pain relievers don't relieve your pain, your doctor might suggest prescription
NSAIDs.
Muscle
relaxants.
If mild to moderate back
pain doesn't improve with OTC pain relievers, your doctor might also prescribe
a muscle relaxant.
Topical
pain relievers.
These are creams, salves
or ointments you rub into your skin at the site of your pain.
Narcotics.
Drugs containing opioids,
such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, may be used for a short time with close
supervision by your doctor.
Antidepressants.
Low doses of certain
types of antidepressants — particularly tricyclic antidepressants, such as
amitriptyline — have been shown to relieve some types of chronic back pain
independent of their effect on depression.
Injections.
A cortisone injection
helps decrease inflammation around the nerve roots, but the pain relief usually
lasts less than a few months.
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