I’m a doctor — here’s the No. 1 way you can stay pain-free

Chances are, astatine immoderate point, you’ve been successful pain. Whether it’s acute, meaning nan symptom occurred quickly arsenic nan consequence of an injury, aliases chronic, meaning you’ve been successful symptom for a while, possibly arsenic a consequence of an underlying wellness information for illustration arthritis — you cognize it’s nary nosy to hurt.

Luckily, you’ve sewage options, particularly erstwhile it comes to highly communal cervix and backmost pain. We said pinch Dr. Jason Kreiner, symptom guidance master astatine NYU Langone Health, to study much astir ways you tin negociate communal aches and pains.

What are immoderate of nan astir communal types of cervix and backmost symptom that you spot successful your practice?

Some group mightiness travel successful pinch acute symptom from thing for illustration a musculus strain. It’s communal this clip of twelvemonth erstwhile group are extracurricular doing gait activity aliases farming and mightiness beryllium bending aliases lifting. They tin easy create a strain aliases perchance a herniated disc, which tin origin a batch of cervix symptom aliases symptom that travels down nan arm.

Chronic symptom whitethorn beryllium secondary to arthritis aliases degenerative changes that tin impact nan cervical spine arsenic good arsenic nan little back, aliases lumbar spine. And past I person a batch of these patients who kick of chronic cervix symptom and whitethorn create headaches. We telephone them cervicogenic headaches.

Acute symptom occurs quickly arsenic a consequence of injury. Chronic symptom intends you’ve been hurting for a while. NYU Langone Health

It’s estimated that immoderate 39% of Americans acquisition backmost pain. How tin group forestall this type of symptom from ever starting?

I americium a immense believer — and I preach this to each my patients — successful regular exercise, spot training and weight loss. It’s not easy to show group that they should suffer weight. Patients don’t for illustration to perceive it, but that is nan No. 1 point patients tin do to forestall aliases thief alleviate a batch of their debased backmost pain. 

This is each astir physics and has to do pinch your assemblage mechanics. The much weight you carry, nan much load-bearing location is connected your little lumbar spine, nan much apt you are to person backmost symptom create complete clip and nan harder it is to treat. 

Lots of america person sedentary table jobs, and moreover erstwhile we are walking, we’re looking down astatine our phones — starring to nan dreaded “tech neck.” What do you propose group do to negociate that pain?

If you’re walking, put your telephone successful your pocket. Don’t look down astatine your phone. That’s nan easiest point you tin do to forestall other strain connected your neck. Next, if you are sitting astatine a table each time — I cognize this is easier said than done — effort to get a opinionated desk. That measurement you tin return predominant breaks, alteration your position and make judge you’re not stuck successful 1 spot each time long. I deliberation those measures really will spell a agelong measurement to forestall and thief to alleviate a batch of cervix pain. 

Summer is premier clip for roadworthy trips. People being stuck successful 1 position for hours, and past erstwhile they get wherever they’re going, they’re stiff and achy each over. Any proposal connected emotion amended aft a agelong car trip?

Absolutely. I opportunity this to a batch of patients — a batch of men particularly — who travel successful pinch debased backmost pain: Don’t support your wallet successful your backmost pocket, and don’t beryllium connected your wallet, particularly if it’s large aliases thick. It’s going to summation that curvature to your spine, which is going to change your assemblage mechanics and lead to a batch of strain.

Don’t beryllium acrophobic to return predominant stops, and erstwhile you do stop, don’t parkland successful nan closest spot. Park farther distant to let you much clip retired of nan car and to get a small spot of workout in.

Dr. Jason Kreiner, symptom guidance master astatine NYU Langone Health, recommends getting a opinionated table and not staring down astatine your telephone arsenic ways to debar cervix pain.

When group deliberation astir pain, they whitethorn instantly jump to medications. Things for illustration Advil aliases Tylenol but besides much superior medicine drugs. Are location ways to dainty symptom that don’t impact taking medications?

Medication does person its place, pinch either acute aliases chronic pain. But we judge successful much of a multimodal approach, which encompasses different modalities, whether that’s beingness therapy, acupuncture aliases a batch of different injections aliases procedures to thief pinch that pain. Patients often do really good pinch a operation of different types of therapy. 

For example, an injection whitethorn thief relieve a batch of nan symptom initially, which past allows a diligent to workout and activity connected beingness therapy, which yet helps patients retrieve successful nan agelong run.

Pain is thing that conscionable astir everyone will woody pinch astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives. What do you want group to cognize if they’re successful symptom correct now?

Pain management is simply a quickly evolving section that’s growing, and it’s gone from conscionable managing symptom to really treating nan underlying condition. Newer therapies are much curative and whitethorn let group to destruct nan request for bigger surgeries. Some of these procedures cure nan underlying information truthful patients don’t moreover person to travel backmost for predominant treatments. 

This question and reply has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Jason Kreiner, MD, is simply a objective adjunct professor successful nan section of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine astatine NYU Grossman School of Medicine and nan objective head of ambulatory symptom guidance astatine NYU Langone Health successful Suffolk County. He specializes successful symptom management, pinch interests successful backmost pain, diabetic nervus harm and cervical disc disease.