Whatever we are doing with our lives, whether we are young or old, living in itself constitutes risk. Regardless of how careful and safety conscious we are, there is a constant at risk of sickness or injury. Generally speaking, minor ailments and injuries can be shaken off without a second thought. In more serious instances we will seek medical help from a doctor, in the worst case scenario we may find ourselves in hospital.
All being well, with medical diagnostics, treatment and care, we recover our health and go on with our lives none the worse for the experience. Although this is generally true, thousands of people’s lives are blighted by a complaint which can very often leave medical science bereft of a cure or even an accurate diagnosis. A condition that spans the whole scale of pain, destroys quality of life, and afflicts absolute misery on the victim. Back pain.
Generation after generation has seen medical science progress in leaps and bounds. New drugs, treatments and techniques, new surgical procedures and technology have all contributed to improving our health, our quality of life and to helping us live longer. And yet, back pain is ruining millions of people’s lives throughout the world. There is universal agreement within the medical profession that back pain is one of the hardest conditions to diagnose and treat.
Living in Thailand with Back Pain
For those people living in or visiting the kingdom of Thailand, there is one thing they can be sure of, it has superb medical facilities. There is a vast choice of world class, highly accredited hospitals staffed by internationally trained medical personnel. They can boast multi-lingual practitioners, cutting edge technology and a level of personal care which is second to none. The country’s medical facilities encompass every area of medical science with the highest of international standards.
Although the origins of back pain can be extremely difficult to pinpoint, there are some complaints which can be easily diagnosed due to having some form of physical manifestation. One such complaint is sciatica, a condition which starts with a herniated disc which leads to pressure on the sciatic nerve. The diagnosis of sciatica is relatively straight forward with a physical exam, an MRI and a CT scan and with careful management will, in many cases, dissipate on its accord. Whatever the cause of your back pain, you can be sure that in Bangkok’s hospitals you have access to the most advanced diagnostic procedures available anywhere in the world.
Back Pain Treatment and Therapy
There are numerous treatments for back pain and very often no single treatment will be utilized, more likely a combination of treatments will be undertaken in order to solve the problem. Combined treatments often include being self-aware and lifestyle management. Understanding the effects of lifestyle choices is vital in successful management and treatment of back pain.
Stress has become a significant factor of modern daily life, and studies by The American Institute of Stress have discovered that at the moment we are put under stress the muscles in the back begin to contract. This contraction of the muscles can cause discomfort and pain and enflame any existing problems that may already exist. Anyone in such a situation is likely to benefit from professional massaging and de-stressing techniques.
Anti-Inflammatory Diets and Drugs
Our diet is all important to our overall health and an individual’s diet can be adjusted to aid with all manner of medical conditions. A dietary expert can advise on trigger foods to avoid and foods which have anti-inflammatory properties. This advice can work in tandem with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen. A combination of dietary awareness and the use of NSAIDS have proved to have had great success in the management of back pain.
Back pain specialists are sure to assess every back pain patients weight and body mass. It is an unfortunate fact that being overweight will exasperate any painful back problems. The body’s skeletal frame and muscles have to support its total weight which puts stress on the muscles in the back. The greater the load bearing down on the back muscles, the greater the levels of stress they undergo. It may seem obvious, but a reduction in body mass has a majorly positive effect on the levels of back pain a sufferer may experience.
Lifestyle Evaluation
Long term sufferers of back pain are very likely to have to re-evaluate their lifestyle. Guidance from the professionals will help patients to develop a healthy style of living without depleting the quality of life. The main areas to be evaluated will be diet, work and exercise, these will be brought together with suggested alterations to create an interlinked lifestyle which allows the patient to enjoy a full, active and enjoyable life.
Surprisingly, some of the professional guidance given may include fashion advice. All too often a poor choice of footwear is found to be a contributory factor with back pain problems. Badly fitting shoes and fashion footwear are usually bad news for those with back pain. The advice given in the choice of footwear should heeded to and not bypassed.
Physical Therapy Techniques
Across the hospitals in Bangkok there are professional therapists skilled in chiropractic manipulation. This therapeutic technique involves the manual adjusting, massaging and stimulation of the spine. This is a highly skilled form of therapy and will be conducted a fully qualified practitioner, licensed chiropractor, physical therapist or osteopathic doctor.
These therapists will create chiropractic therapy plans which are individualized for each patient. These plans will include the coaching of the patient in appropriate exercises they should undertake at home, their duration and frequency. In addition to the direct chiropractic therapy and home based exercise routines, they will also advise on how practice a correct posture, vital to the wellbeing of the spine and the muscles in the back.
Surgical Procedures for Back Pain
In some cases, it may be that surgery is the best or only option. Common surgical procedures include discectomy, laminectomy, spinal fusion, Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Should any of these be necessary, a patient can rest assured that the facilities in Bangkok’s hospital are second to none. They are equipped with modern, hi-tech surgical suites, staffed with internationally trained and accredited personnel and Bangkok’s hospitals can boast some of the highest success rates in the world for back surgery.
Bangkok’s hospitals like Samitivej Hospital are committed to caring for and improving the lives of all through a combination of skill, technology, dedication and an attitude to care unequalled anywhere in the world.