Experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the adult population in the United States will experience an episode of low back pain at some point in their lifetime. Among the most common culprits in low back pain are injuries to the lumbar area, such as sprains and strains.
If you’re experiencing low back pain after a fall, sports accident, or car crash, it proves prudent to consult an orthopedic doctor, who can make a thorough assessment and confirm a diagnosis.
There are a number of effective back injury treatments available. The type of treatment you will receive will depend on the cause and severity of your low back injury. Based on the results of the evaluation, your doctor may recommend any or a combination of the following back injury treatment options apart from the standard pharmacological interventions:
Back Brace
Your doctor may have you wear a brace to limit movement and support your back while it heals. This device provides stability and comfort by distributing the pressure on the affected part of the back.
PRP Injections
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is one of the lesser-known back injury treatments that you may want to consider. This form of regenerative medicine uses your own platelets, which are tiny fragments of cells that are essential for normal blood clotting and wound healing. When you get injured, platelets rush to the site of the injury, clump together (form a clot), and plug the hole in the blood vessel to fix the injury and stop the bleeding.
Your platelets also contain several growth factors that can speed up the healing process. These may even reverse some of the damage caused by a sports injury or degenerative disease. Since it uses your own blood, PRP injections have little to no side effects.
During your PRP therapy, your doctor will draw a small amount of blood from your arm. Platelet-rich plasma will be extracted from this sample. It will then be processed in a centrifuge and reinjected into the site of injury – in this case, your back.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy uses nonpharmacologic and nonsurgical methods to relieve your pain and promote healing.
Your physical therapist will incorporate into your treatment program exercises that improve your flexibility and range of motion and strengthen your back muscles. Your physical therapist can also teach you proper body mechanics to minimize your risk of reinjury and ease pressure on your back.
Physical therapy is often used as an adjunctive treatment; it provides exceptional results when combined with PRP injections and other treatment modalities.
Surgery
Your doctor may recommend back surgery if you sustained a spinal cord injury or if your symptoms are unresponsive to conservative interventions (not alleviated after a 6- to 12-week course of conservative treatments) and have severely limited your function.
Back Injury Treatments in Plantation, FL
If you’re looking for effective back injury treatment in Plantation, Florida, visit us at Baylis & Brown Orthopedics. Dr. Baylis and Dr. Brown specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of the full range of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, and they are committed to providing patients with comprehensive, effective care to help them regain their normal function as soon as possible. Should surgery be the only solution to your back injury, our providers are both board-certified spine surgeons, and they have already performed countless successful spine surgeries, so you can rest assured that you will achieve your desired treatment outcome.
To schedule a consultation with either Dr. Baylis or Dr. Brown, call us at (954) 476-8800 or fill out our online appointment request form.
