What are the treatments for chronic back pain other than narcotics?
Back pain can be caused by injury, diseases or degeneration due to aging. It becomes chronic when the pain is recurring or doesn’t let up. Long-term back pain requires a sound management plan to avoid reliance on narcotics, which can be addictive and even ineffective for some degrees of pain.Pain MedicinePain medicine is a newer medical discipline that studies the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation and treatments for pain. Finding a doctor specializing in pain medicine is a good start for dealing with chronic back pain.Conservative TreatmentsFirst options for pain relief include physical therapy, exercise and medications like NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Advil to reduce inflammation and block pain.AlternativesAlternative treatment options include seeing a chiropractor, massage therapy or acupuncture. Herbs like skullcap, turmeric, willow bark, St.