If you suffer from back pain, your head may be swimming from hearing about all of the treatments out there. Some people think surgery is the best route to go, but that can have long term ramifications. At Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness, we believe in minimally invasive treatment for back pain.
Very often that involves chiropractic manipulation, but we offer other treatments in certain cases, such as spinal decompression therapy and magnesphere therapy. Two therapies we offer that are of particular interest to those who suffer from back pain are trigger point therapy and epidural spinal treatment. But you may be wondering what the differences between these two types of treatments. What conditions do they treat? Which treatment is right for you? Total Chiropractic wants to explain what you need to know about trigger point therapy and epidural spinal treatment.
How Trigger Point Therapy Works
Trigger point therapy is a treatment that helps relieve chronic pain without the use of medication. You may be asking yourself what a “trigger point” is and the answer is that they are the knots or areas of spasm that develop in your muscles. The area around trigger points may be tender when touched and the pain isn’t necessarily going to be close by. Sometimes the pain is felt in a distant location.
Who Can Benefit From Trigger Point Therapy?
If you experience any of the following, you can benefit from trigger point therapy
- Lower back pain
- Sciatica
- Knee pain
- Ankle pain
- Tennis elbow
When you come to Total Chiropractic for trigger point therapy treatment, we will manipulate these knots and loosen them. This will improve the blood flow to areas that have chronic spasms. Very often patients report an immediate reduction of pain. Improvement is usually seen with each subsequent visit and over a number of sessions, you can see long term relief.
All About Epidural Spinal Treatment
Unlike trigger point therapy, epidural spinal treatment involves the use of medication. This treatment, which is used to treat conditions such as herniated discs or spinal stenosis. While this treatment does involve the use of injections, it is a minimally invasive alternative to surgery. The injection is usually a combination of a steroid mixed with an anesthetic. The steroid works to diminish the proteins that cause inflammation. According to the Mayo Clinic, these injections should be limited to just a few a year, because there’s a risk that too many injections can weaken spinal bones or nearby muscles.
When you come to Total Chiropractic the treatment process will take about 30 minutes to complete and patients will be monitored for about 30 minutes to an hour. Some patients will experience some temporary numbness in arms which usually goes away in 1-8 hours. Pain may increase in the first 24-48 hours after the injection, but the benefits of the injection should be felt anywhere from 24 to 72 hours after the procedure.
Total Chiropractic Will Set Up Your Individual Treatment Plan
Patients who seek treatment from Total Chiropractic will meet with our doctor, Todd Goldman and he’ll work with you to design a treatment plan. It may involve chiropractic techniques, diet, exercise and lifestyle decisions. It can also involve trigger point therapy, epidural spinal treatment or any of our other treatments. We’ll even tell you if surgery is your best option. To get started, contact us today.