Alternative Treatments For Back Pain
The term alternative therapy covers a wide array of treatments, with a corresponding variation in levels of acceptance amongst the medical community.
Alternative medicine is a growing field, but sometimes relies more on anecdotal evidence than careful study.
The most reputable alternative treatments include chiropractic, prolotherapy, acupuncture and acupressure, and massage therapy.
Chiropractors use spinal manipulation to adjust the spine. Their goal is to ease pressure on the nervous system by properly aligning the spine. Spinal manipulation tries to restore joint mobility by applying a controlled force into joints that have become restricted in their movement.
Chiropractic is the most popular form of alternative therapy.
Prolotherapy is a treatment in which a sugar solution or other irritating substance is injected into the periosteum, the fibrous tissue covering the bones, in order to strengthen the attachment of tendons and ligaments.
Acupuncture and acupressure are based on the ancient Chinese philosophy that a life force called Qi flows through the body. If the flow is impeded, the body can become ill. Acupuncture uses needles to unblock the flow of Qi, while acupressure uses massage to accomplish the same thing.
Massage therapy can benefit back pain sufferers by increasing blood flow and circulation, decreasing tension in the muscles, reducing pain caused by tight muscles and even improving sleep. Massage therapy can provide relief for many common conditions that cause back pain, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, sports injuries and various other soft tissue sprains and strains.