Is Lower Back Pain a Pain in Your Butt?

How to Treat Lower Back Pain

Remember those Ooh, aah, ouch! Iodex! ads from the 1980s, when the actors would grimace their way through aches and pains, only to suddenly discover Iodex, and be magically cured?

While balms work wonders in ads, seniors dealing with lower back pain need solutions that can help them in the long run. There are a number of different reasons for lower back pain in the elderly, from serious conditions includingbone diseases like Osteoarthritis or systemic diseases like fibromyalgia, to more benig ones like inflammation of the joints.

There are a number of treatment options available to seniors struggling with lower back pain. Depending on what's causing the pain, whether it's a disease or just the aging process doctors could suggest invasive and/or non-invasive treatment options.

Invasive

For example, if a growing tumour is what's causing the pain (by pinching certain nerves), doctors might suggest invasive treatments like surgery to remove the growth. They could also suggest 'Interventional Pain Therapy', which includes steroid injections to combat the inflammation that occurs in conditions like facet joint arthritis. 

Non-invasive

Non-invasive treatments include massage therapy, analgesic medication,and non-opioid drugs called NSAIDS. 

Low impact exercises like yoga can help stretch, massage, and condition your lower and mid-back muscles.A strong and supple back is essential to your overall health, especially since that's where some of our key core muscles are located.