If you have lower back pain and you can't get relief from treatments suggested by your family doctor, then you should consider seeing a specialist. The type of specialist you choose depends on the reason for your pain. You might need a back surgeon, rehabilitation therapist, or a pain specialist. A back pain clinic like the one represented at APEXPAINSPECIALISTS.COM may have several professionals working together to help you deal with your problem. Here are some possible treatments that might help your lower back pain.

Nerve Block Injections

When the pain in your back is severe, oral medications may not do much to help. You might also have trouble tolerating prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Your back specialist might recommend a nerve block injection to help your pain. This is a shot you receive in your back. It's a combination of a local anesthetic that provides quick relief of pain and a corticosteroid that reduces swelling and provides long-term pain relief. You may take a series of injections to get the best results.

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Your doctor might recommend spinal cord stimulation for your back pain depending on its cause. This treatment consists of an implant device that electrically stimulates the nerves in your spine and creates interference with pain signals. In this way, the device offers pain relief. Although the unit is implanted near your spine inside your body, you'll still be able to turn it on and off or adjust the strength of the electrical pulses.

Electrothermal Therapy

If your low back pain is caused by a damaged disc, your doctor might try electrothermal therapy. This involves inserting a wire near the injured disc and heating the area to destroy some of the pain receptors in the disc, leading to a reduction in pain. This is an outpatient procedure your doctor performs with a local anesthetic. A similar procedure uses radio frequency waves rather than heat to partially destroy some of the disc. Removing some disc material may relieve pressure on a spinal nerve and thereby reduce pain.

Physical Therapy

If your chronic back pain is caused by poor posture or poor body mechanics at work, then physical therapy might help. In addition to learning how to sit, stand, and lift properly to support your back, you'll also learn exercises that can help with pain relief. Stretching might relieve pressure on your discs and nerves. Other exercises can strengthen back muscles so your spine and back are supported better.

With all the treatments available today, a specialist can find a way for you to recover from your back pain or to manage it better so you can live with it. You may not need to rely on pain medications if you can find a different treatment that works better at controlling your pain.