Your move-more strategies to banish nagging back pain — without painkillers

Is your back pain killing you?

That question isn’t rhetorical. The fact is, back pain is the number one cause of disability worldwide. And this combination of excessive pain and reduced quality of life can make you feel like your golden years have come to an end.

But as we now know, painkillers don’t provide a solution. They may work for the moment, but even over-the-counter medications can be dangerous and ineffective in the long run.

Meanwhile, alternative treatments that relieve back pain are proven safe and effective, and just might save your life.

The best alternative back pain treatment — revealed

According to a recent Australian study, seniors suffering from back pain could be in more danger than they think…

University of Sydney researchers analyzed health data collected from nearly 4,400 twins over the age of 70. These twins were selected for a study to rule out genetic influences on disease risk.

One of the study authors summed up their findings: “Our study found that compared to those without spinal pain (back and neck), a person with spinal pain has a 13 per cent higher chance of dying every year.

“This is a significant finding as many people think that back pain isn’t life-threatening.”

The one bit of good news here is that back pain wasn’t linked to cardiovascular-related deaths. So it appears that back pain contributes to mortality in other ways such as depression, poor mobility and balance (with increased risk of falls and fractures), and reduced physical activity.

And when it comes to the road to recovery, back patients can start by addressing their levels of physical activity. As one of the researchers put it, “Medications are mostly ineffective, and surgery usually doesn’t offer a good outcome. The best treatment for lower back pain is a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity. People need to get moving.”

Many back pain patients might find that advice hard to act on initially. But there are a number of sensible, non-drug strategies they can use to help them bounce back and get acclimated to a more active lifestyle.

Physical therapy isn’t the only answer

If you ask a conventional doctor to recommend a drug-free back pain treatment, Dr. Fred Pescatore knows what the response will be in most cases: Physical therapy (PT).

In Dr. Pescatore’s Pain-Free Life Protocol, he points out that PT is the go-to approach, and it can be effective, but it’s far from your only option. In fact, he says, there are several natural remedies at your disposal that can help you get the relief you long for.

For instance, simply getting a massage is a highly effective (and enjoyable) treatment. Studies show that therapeutic massage is one of the top drug-free treatments, particularly for back pain.

Dr. Pescatore cites a new study that examined the effects of 10 massage sessions on back pain patients. Researchers reported three standout results:

• Twelve weeks after the massages, 75 percent of the study participants had meaningful improvement in pain and disability.
• At 24 weeks, the pain-relief benefits were still significant in half the patients.
• Overall, the results were most pronounced in people over age 49, compared to younger participants.

Dr. Pescatore recommends another treatment that requires little effort from the patient: Chiropractic adjustment.

“Mainstream docs,” he says, “often sneer at chiropractic treatments. But even they’ll have to pay attention to this recent study proving its merits.”

In a review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers concluded that the majority of chiropractic adjustment studies found “significant improvements” in pain and function.

From 26 clinical trials investigated, 15 reported significant improvements in pain, while 12 found similarly high levels of improvements in function. And no groups reported serious adverse events.

Let these long-term benefits go to your head

For back pain patients who feel they’re up for a higher level of mobility, Dr. Pescatore recommends yoga.

Those who suffer from chronic low back pain can find just as much relief from yoga as from physical therapy, according to a recent study. And Dr. Pescatore notes that other studies have shown yoga to be helpful in relieving pain and improving function while also reducing reliance on pain medications.

Dr. Pescatore points out that yoga’s effectiveness is good news on several levels. “First,” he says, “it’s generally less expensive and more accessible than physical therapy.

“Secondly, yoga has additional benefits for people who practice it long-term, including helping to retain gray matter in the brain, which typically deteriorates with age. More gray matter means better brain function and a higher pain tolerance.”

If you want to try any of these methods to help heal back pain, Dr. Pescatore suggests checking with both your primary care physician and your insurance provider to determine the best treatment option for you.

But he adds that whatever form of therapy you choose, remember this: “You don’t have to rely on harmful medications to treat back pain. Natural remedies are every bit as effective—and far safer.”

In Dr. Pescatore’s Pain-Free Life Protocol, he recommends two more natural therapies that are proven to relieve back pain without pain-killing drugs. And of course, his protocol is chock full of insider strategies for smoothing out all kinds of chronic pain, from migraine headaches to gout pain to arthritis, and everything in between.

Click here to learn much more about this remarkable, life-changing protocol, or to enroll today.

SOURCES

“Is back pain killing us?” Science Daily, 2/23/17. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170223092137.htm)