There are millions of people who suffer from chronic back pain and for most of them the damage started when they were teenagers or young adults.
Most people don't plan on causing themselves pain as they grow older but many of the accidents and shocks to the back during our younger years add up over time.
Taking care of one's back is not high on the list of things to do when we are younger but as we age proper back care is important to mitigate the suffering those younger years may have caused.
Years of abuse and lack of taking proper care of one's back is the primary factor for most people with chronic back pain.
As such it usually begins as something of an annoying pain that you notice but doesn't really affect your ability to go about daily life.
The first signs of a chronic condition is pain that lasts for more than three or more months.
It can be more of a deep aching type pain that has some tingling or numbness associated with it from time to time.
There are several treatment paths available to those who suffer from long term pain.
Successfully treating back problems is normally done using a combination of therapies that are designed to not only mitigate the symptoms but also fix the injury to help prevent future problems associated with the back.
The first thing most doctors or therapist will want to do is get the pain under control with some form of pain killer.
These can be either over the counter or prescription back pain medications.
The strength of drug needed will depend on the severity of the pain and what your doctor recommends for the type of injury you have.
Once the pain is under control the next step will be some form of physical therapy either with a physical therapist or chiropractor.
The goal of physical therapy is to restore range of motion and allow you to get back to functioning normally in daily life.
It should also include back strengthening exercises which will help you avoid future back problems.
Surgery is usually the treatment of last resort for chronic back pain.
Most of the problems that cause back pain can be treated with less invasive therapies.
A good doctor will never consider surgery for back pain unless all other treatment avenues have been exhausted.
Because of its invasive nature and long recovery time surgery should be avoided if at all possible.
If you suffer from chronic back pain then it would behoove you to schedule a visit with your doctor.
There is often an underlying condition that is causing the discomfort and your doctor or a back specialist he refers you to are your best bet and diagnosing and treating your bad back.