What can I do to alleviate spinal osteoarthritis pain?

If you have been diagnosed with spinal osteoarthritis, there are various ways you can manage your symptoms without the need for any surgical intervention. A pain management dr can help you relieve both stiffness and pain, build strength in muscles that support the spine, and improve flexibility. These treatments are unable to reverse any damage already done to the bone or cartilage, nor are they able to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis. However, these treatments are designed to help you continue living your life actively.

Pain Medication

Over-the-counter meds including aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen are great for controlling pain from spinal osteoarthritis. These meds are readily available at your local drug stores. Acetaminophen helps to block pain signals that travel from the inflamed joints to the brain. NSAIDs, on the other hand, relieve both swelling and pain that results from joint damage.

Weight Management

If a person that has spinal osteoarthritis is also overweight, the additional weight will put additional stress on the spine, causing the disease to progress a lot quicker. Exercising and losing weight can help reduce stress on the spine, increase muscle strength, and increase bone mass, which can all relieve pain. While weight loss is no easy task, many doctors can offer assistance with making healthy lifestyle changes through various programs.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a therapeutic treatment that involves thin needles that are inserted into different points on the surface of your body. By targeting certain points along the nerve pathways that are affected by osteoarthritis of the spine, acupuncture may help speed up healing by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation, which can result in an improvement in joint function.

Physical Therapy

Many doctors recommend physical therapy to help with spinal osteoarthritis. Physical therapy can help increase strength in the muscles that support the spine, and also relieve pain. Depending on the area at the back where your condition is being affected, physical therapy will be targeted at that specific area. For example, if your osteoarthritis is affecting the cervical spine or neck, therapy will focus on certain muscle groups in the shoulders and neck.

Corticosteriod Injections

If pain resulting from spinal osteoarthritis doesn’t respond to physical therapy and medication, your doctor may recommend corticosteroid injections that are inserted right into the affected facet joints. You will also be given anesthesia to help temporarily relieve pain, while the injection will reduce inflammation. This, in turn, may help minimize the pain you are feeling for weeks, months, or even up to a year. However, there is no sure way to predict whether an injection will be effective, or how long the relief from pain will last. However, most people that receive these injections do experience relief for at least three months.