Try Using Ultrasound Treatment For Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is becoming more common. Not only do people have things like degenerative disc disease and arthritis to deal with, there are also lifestyle problems that can cause problems for your back. Your body is not designed to be sitting for hours and hours on end. It can put stress on your back and cause your lower back pain. There are several treatments that you may not have pursued for your back pain, but which may be able to give you some relief. One of those treatments is ultrasound.
What Is Ultrasound?
Medical ultrasounds use very high-frequency sound waves. People can't hear them, but the sound waves still react to your body. Not only can ultrasound be used for treatment, it is also used as an imaging tool, for pregnant women or to diagnose heart problems, for example.
How Does Ultrasound Help Lower Back Pain?
The medical technician that will be conducting your treatment will run an ultrasound wand up and down your back. There will be some gel on your back that will help the ultrasonic waves penetrate your back better. When the sound waves do penetrate your back, they stimulate the blood vessels in your back. That causes those vessels to expand, which can cause more blood to run into your back and for the area to heat up. That effect is similar to when you apply heat to your back. The heat can help to relax the tense and painful muscles, and to allow those muscles to stretch and release.
What Are Some Reasons to Use Ultrasound Treatment?
One of the biggest reasons to use this treatment is that it's non-invasive. That means that no one is going to cut into your back to treat you, and you aren't going to get shots. The wand is applied directly to your skin, after some gel is applied, without having to go into your back. Another reason is that ultrasonic treatment is very effective when used with other therapies. For example, if you are getting physical therapy to help treat your back pain, the PT may start with an ultrasound treatment to help get those muscles ready for the work that physical therapy can be. Relaxing those muscles so that they can stretch will help them be more efficient in therapy. The PT may also use the ultrasonic treatment after physical therapy in order to promote more healing.
Lower back pain may feel like it's robbing you of your normal life. Ultrasound treatmens may be able to give you that life back. Contact a business, such as Central Iowa OB/Gyn Specialists, PLC, for more information.
