In short, the treatment options for carpal tunnel surround themselves by reducing the pressure and the swelling on the median nerve. This nerve moves through the wrist and into the hand. It is sandwiched in between the carpal ligament and your wrist bones. There is no doubt that a nerve that is pinched is going to hurt and that is just what is happening here.

Treatment can be quite successful. It can help to relief pain and swelling, reduce the amount of tingling you may have and improve any numbness you are experiencing. Most often, carpal tunnel treatment does help you to restore function, which is of course an important part of healing.

The treatment options vary, but can include a number of things and usually does include more than one option. A splint and brace is usually the first step. This stabilizes the area, reducing the amount of pressure on the nerve. Additionally, nonsteroidal ant inflammatory drugs are used. These help to reduce the swelling in the region and reduce the pain you feel. The only way that these medications can relieve pain is if the pain is from inflammation.

Cortisone injections are a more intense treatment option. It should provide relief from the pain for up to six months, or longer. The drug works to shrink the swollen membranes and tendons which helps to reduce the painful swelling. The last type of carpal tunnel treatment doctors consider is surgery. Most surgeries, such as carpal tunnel release, are minimally invasive. They simply work to release the pressure on the nerve.

In all cases, talk to your doctor about all of your options before choosing one!

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From experience, medications can be effective at helping individuals to just get through the day. If you have ever woken up to intense pain that literally cripples you, then you may also know that taking away that pain is the first thing on your mind. Luckily, there are medications that can help.

Over the Counter Back Pain Medication

The first medication relief you have is over the counter medications. There are some products designed specifically for back pain. Acetaminophen is the most common medication used as an over the counter treatment for back pain. A name brand, like Tylenol, can work as well as generics. There are several benefits to this medication. First, it is not habit forming and it does not contain aspirin in it. Doctors may prescriber higher doses, too, as much as 1000 mg every four hours.

Narcotic Pain Medication

Back pain medication prescribed to you may also be narcotic based, which can lead to dependency and therefore should be used only as prescribed. These include:

• Codeine (Tylenol #3)
• Propoxyphene (Darvocet)
• Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
• Oxycodone (Oxycontin or Percocet)

Muscle Relaxants

Another option is a muscle relaxant, often given during the early stages of back pain treatment. It is likely only used on a short term basis, usually for the lower back pain. Muscle relaxants include:

• Carisoprodol (Soma)
• Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
• Diazepam (Valium)

It is very important that you seek doctor treatment for your back pain if it has gotten to the point where you regularly use over the counter pain relief to treat it. Many of these drugs can be safely used to help minimize or stop back pain. Back pain medication is usually selected by your doctor, depending on the type of pain, location of pain and the underlying cause of the pain.

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One of the best ways I have found to treat back pain is by stretching. As kids, we watched cartoons of people doing stretches right out of bed. Yes, I do this. I do bending and flexing of the muscles in my lower back and neck every morning right out of bed. I do them again in the office, usually around 2, when I’m starting to get sore. It costs nothing, but it does relieve a lot of the aches and pains.

Next, I have worked hard to improve my sleeping position. Back pain remedies don’t often mention this, but the fact is, if you have a bad night sleep wise, chances are good that you will suffer from it the next day. I can’t sleep on my back flat, but I used to sleep on my stomach. That’s not good as all of your organs (and that little bit of belly bulge) pushes on your back. Instead, I sleep on my left side (it is better for your heart than your right side, by the way.)

Finally, I work hard to maintain my posture. It do this in several ways. I wear the right sized shoes (take the time to get professionally sized here.) I also force myself to sit up at my desk. Are you sitting up right now? If not, it could be exactly the reason you are in so much pain.

These are just a few of the back pain remedies I have found that may not be your textbook tools, but regularly provide me with relief. They also allow me to sleep better and to get more done at work.

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The most common and probably the best spinal stenosis treatment is physical therapy. The goal of this therapy is simply to strengthen the muscles in the back and abdomen. This helps to improve the overall flexibility of the spinal column, too. Some therapy can be done on your own, at home, but only once you have learned the proper way to exercise. Stretching, on the other hand, is another good addition that you can do at home. It can help to relieve daily pain, but will not fully treat the condition.

For those who have been diagnosed with the condition, and have been told they need physical therapy, speak with your therapist about exercises you can do from home. You do not want to guess on these since you can easily over-strain making a bad situation worse. Still, you should be able to learn the proper exercises to do to help improve the overall condition.

Other spinal stenosis treatment options are up to your doctor. Medications are often administered to help with relief from mild symptoms. For those with chronic pain, injections can also be in use to stop the pain.  The injections are costly yet they are one of the best tools for reliving the pain. If these treatments do not work, your doctor may recommend a surgery to decompress the spinal column.

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