For spinal arthritis patients or other degenerative back as well neck ailments, physician almost always go for alternative treatments methods as their first option.
The reason behind the choice is simply the fact that non-surgical treatments are found to be extremely effective in managing most of the back and neck conditions and providing patients relief from arthritis spine pain.
Surgery is only considered as an option when alternative treatment methods fail to provide any respite to the patient suffering from spinal arthritis.
Alternative Treatments Methods
Let us take a look at some of the most popular non-surgical treatment options for arthritis spine pain.
Massage Therapy
Therapeutic massage is one of the most popular choices for treating arthritis spine pain. This treatment helps patient get relief from spinal arthritis pain and also improves circulation.
However, it is extremely necessary that you contact a massage therapist who is experienced and trained in treating people with spinal arthritis.
TENS or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
TENS or commonly known as electrotherapy is a treatment method n which electricity in a controlled amount is used to provide relief from the sensitivity of the nerves around the spine.
The treatment is not commonly used as it has few side-effects and not all patients receive pain relief. Usually TENS is recommended or prescribed to a patient by a physical therapist.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is also a very commonly prescribed treatment for arthritis spine pain. Acupuncture technique involves the use of fine-needles that are inserted at specific points on the skin.
This treatment is a safe non-surgical treatment method and is found to provide relief to patients suffering from spinal arthritis.
Moreover NIH has found in studies that acupuncture is also quite useful in the treatment for low back pain. In the treatment of arthritis pain acupuncture is used with a combination of pain killers as well as nutritional supplement methods.