Relief for back pain without surgery

Q: I’m a 37-year-old man suffering from lower back misery for the past four months. Is there treatment that doesn’t involve surgery?

"Yes, we have several non-surgical treatment options, depending on the source of your pain," says Lan Nguyen, M.D., a board-certified physician at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. "You may benefit from a program of physical therapy that includes back-strengthening exercises."

The goal is to reduce or relieve pain, restore function and help patients retain the quality of life they had previously enjoyed.

For pain management, Dr. Nguyen often suggests using over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen. In some cases, a muscle relaxant may be prescribed for short-term use.

"If pain is severe, we might recommend a series of epidural steroid injections," Dr. Nguyen says. "Those, however, are usually reserved for patients exhibiting pain in the buttocks area that shoots down the leg - symptoms usually related to a herniated disc."

Dr. Nguyen prefers to wait before contemplating surgery in order to give non-surgical therapy enough time to improve the patient's condition. But even for patients with herniated discs, only a minor percent are eventually considered candidates for surgery.

"A comprehensive rehabilitation program with physician and patient working together as a team is the key to positive patient outcomes," concludes Dr. Nguyen, who cares for patients at Kelsey-Seybold's Main Campus and Humble Clinic locations.