Lower back pain: your questions answered

What non-surgical options do I have for my lumbar spinal pain, and how effective are they?

The management for Lumbar Spinal Pain (LSP) is initially to make an accurate diagnosis and to rule out any red flags symptoms which warrant emergency treatment.

A comprehensive treatment plan will then be developed with discussion between the patient and physician based on patient expectations.

Available treatments are:

• Education and explanation of disease process and prognosis.
• Non-invasive methods: simple analgesics, specific nerve pain medications, physiotherapy and exercise (to strengthen the core muscles), and TENS trial.
• Procedures: Injections around the nerve supplying the spinal joints (nerve root injection), epidurals, radiofrequency procedures and spinal column stimulators.