Vim & Vigor - Fall 2018 - 31

Conﬁ

dent
ial

BACK PAIN
RELIEF: YOU'RE
DOING IT
WRONG

Could It Be
Related to
Something Else?

Other health conditions-or even a
history of them-can sometimes contribute to back pain. For example,
because osteoporosis causes your
bones to weaken or thin, trouble with
your back could be a result.
"If you have osteoporosis with back
pain, it could lead to an osteoporotic
fracture in the spine, so that's something we look for," Buchowski says.
Although rare, cancer can be a cause
of back pain. "A history of cancer
could indicate there's been a metastasis [spreading] in the spine that's
weakened the bone and led to a fracture," he says.

Is It Getting
Better?

This can be a tricky issue,
because for most people, back pain
comes and goes, Kennedy says.
"The severe, crushing pain usually
doesn't last for long while the low-level
nagging pain feels like it lasts forever. At
some point, it's worth getting checked
out just to make sure you're not missing something," he says.
If your pain seems to be related
to activity and improves with rest,
it's more likely to be mechanical
pain, Buchowski says, and he recommends self-treatment options including ibuprofen or acetaminophen, or
core-strengthening exercises and lowimpact aerobic activities, like walking
or swimming, to see if that helps.
"If it's not better in a couple of weeks,
it may be time to see a primary care
doctor or specialist and start physical
therapy," he says. ■

When back pain strikes, all you can think
about is seeking relief. Unfortunately, some
of most common self-treatment methods
people use may actually sabotage the healing
process. Here are three mistakes to avoid.
1. Staying in bed. Studies have shown
bed rest beyond 24 to 48 hours is detrimental to recovery. "Instead of staying in
bed, slowly incorporate activity back into
your day, with shorter periods of rest over
time," says Bethwel Raore, MD, a neurosurgeon at GMC's Neurosurgery & Spine
Associates and the GMC Back Pain Center.
2. Rushing the healing process. "It's
easy to be tempted by quick fixes, but
those won't get to the root cause of your
pain and may only provide temporary
help-not lasting relief," Dr. Raore says.
3. Overdoing it. Because pain may take
time to resolve, it may be tempting to push
through it and resume normal activity. "But
this may actually make the problem worse
through over-action or aggravating the condition," explains Dr. Raore. "You'll just end up
making the healing process even longer."

WEBSITE

What's Going On
Back There?
Back pain is often a mystery.
What's causing it? How do you
treat it? Take the guesswork out
by going to see the experts at
GMC's Back Pain Center. You'll get
answers to your questions and
find lasting relief with a customized treatment plan. Learn more
at gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/
backpain.

FALL 2018

31

http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/backpain

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