If you have injured your back, schedule an appointment with our back pain clinic right away. The sooner we are able to treat you, the fewer symptoms you will have. While, waiting to come into the office there are several things you can do at home to give your back first aid. Some of these may also be done on an ongoing basis to help your back feel better and reduce the pain caused by your accident.

Before you do anything, it is important to evaluate the situation surrounding your accident. In a car wreck, for example, bones may have become broken so move carefully and evaluate how you feel prior to attempting back first aid. If all is well, call our office and try these steps.

Take Ibuprofen. This medication will do more than simply relieve your pain. It will also help to prevent and reduce swelling. After an accident, it is natural for your muscles to swell which can further aggravate the injury and cause pain. By taking a couple of Ibuprofen, Advil, or Motrin you can start to feel better while waiting for treatment.
Pain medication. If you are still in severe pain after being treated in our back pain clinic, you may want to incorporate Tylenol into your pain medication. This can be taken in rotation with Ibuprofen. Our goal is to get you off of pain medication as quickly as possible, but we understand that immediately following your accident this may be necessary for staying comfortable.
Ice therapy. When you strain a muscle, it can cause back pain. If you ice the area within 48 hours of your injury, you can reduce the swelling and pain associated with it. It can also reduce the soreness by numbing the area and slowing the nerve impulses that tell the brain you are in pain. When the ice is removed, more blood will rush to the area which can aid in speeding up the healing process.
Heat therapy. After the first 48 hours, heat therapy can become more beneficial because it relaxes the muscles and reduces stiffness. Additionally, heat enlarges the blood vessels so that more oxygen will flow to the area, which promotes healing.
When you visit our back pain clinic, we will examine your injury and work with you to create a treatment plan. After your initial treatments, we will likely discuss any restrictions that are placed on your back along with stretches and exercises that are safe to do at home. These are important for both the immediate and long-term health of your back. The stronger and more flexible your back is, the less likely it will be to become reinjured. This is part of the physical therapy process that is necessary for you to gain back full mobility and functionality of your back. Those that seek only to treat the pain may find that their back never feels as good as it did pre-accident. Our goal is to help you to feel amazing and live life without restrictions. As such, we focus on treating the pain now and preventing your back from being injured in the future.