Lower Left Back Pain: What You Should Know

Back pain varies from mild to severe and debilitating.  In some cases, if left untreated, back pain can be dangerous and even life threatening.  Unfortunately, some people experience back pain that is so severe that they cannot go about their daily life such as going to work or picking up around the house.   When back pain gets this severe, it is time to do something as it if affecting the overall quality of life. 

The ability of this pain to disrupt daily life is why it is important to deal with back pain in a timely manner.  It doesn’t matter if it is in a specific area such as lower left back pain or not, back pain needs to be addressed.  The best way to deal with the pain is to figure out what the cause is, and then eliminate the cause if possible. 

Treatment 

When you have back pain you need to remember that your pain is not the same as everyone else’s, and you need to treat it as such.  This is why you cannot assume that the treatment that worked for your friend or neighbor is going to work for you. 

Physical therapy and exercise is usually the method of choice to treat back pain.  You will usually have a physical therapist assigned to you who will help you apply heat, ice, ultrasound, or even electrical stimulation to the affected area.  The hope is that these methods will relieve your back pain.  The physical therapist will also help to teach you exercises that you can do at home to strength your back and neck as well as improve flexibility. 

If you do not get much relief from the physical therapy you may be prescribed cortisone injections.  This is a type of anti-inflammatory medication that is actually injected into the spaces around the spinal cord.  The idea is that the medication will help to decrease the swelling and irritation that is found at the nerve roots, which will in turn relieve back pain. 

When you have this sort of lower left back pain, or any sort of back pain, you should work closely with your doctor.  Your doctor will be the key to finding out exactly what the problem is, and devising a treatment plan that is specific to you so you get the best results.