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New Relief for Lower Back Pain

By: Ambrose Hutson

Chronic, nagging lower back pain. There is nothing worse. Back pain causes sleepless nights, lost hours at work and even disability four out of every five American adults. With stakes this high, chances are pretty good that you will suffer with lower back pain in your lifetime.

When chronic lower back pain occurs, it's often after a spinal injury such as a strained muscle, sprained ligament or herniated disc. Even after the initial injury has been cured or repaired, the pain still lingers on. Health experts have found that such injuries can sometimes trigger alterations in the nerve cells that transmit signals. The resulting pain, called hypersensitivity, persists long after the initial trauma has been healed.

When this occurs, the chronic lower back pain becomes another disease, and much more than a simple symptom of underlying spinal damage. Hypersensitivity can continue to create recurring bouts of pain, even when there has been no havoc to factor the twinge. Therefore, people who have suffered lower back trauma should be careful to maintain an ongoing rehabilitation program in hopes of avoiding any future painful episodes.

Patients seeking effective, non-surgical treatment methods may find relief with PNT, or percutaneous neuromodulation therapy. This treatment is performed with the application of electrical stimulation to the deep tissues in the posterior portion of the body.

This new procedure for relieving chronic lower back pain has recently received clearance by the FDA. PNT is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed in a regular medical clinic.

To qualify for percutaneous nueromodulation therapy, you must:

* Be at risk of developing long-term, intractable pain.

* Suffer with an ache that radiates from the lower back into your buttocks, legs and feet.

* You should not be taking ample pain-relief medications, including physical therapy or chiropractic manipulation.

* Desire a less insidious approach before resorting into a surgical operation.

When your doctor performs PNT, she or he will use several needle electrodes that are designed to reach the nerve pathways that may be impacting the pain. Specialists believe that this type of charged stimulation will aid in restraining the central nervous system that relentlessly ushers in pain.

A typical PNT session lasts for about thirty minutes. Once the patient has become comfortable in a face down position on the examination table, up to ten PNT electrodes are applied to the lower buttock area at specified locations. Each is deployed with a fine-gauge filament electrode to a depth of three centimeters. With the electrodes in place, the doctor is able to adjust the stimulation to a stage that will distribute the most therapeutic benefits to the patient.

It's important for patients who undergo PNT as a treatment for lower back pain to complete three or four sessions before evaluating the effectiveness of the procedure. Some will experience a certain level of relief after a single PNT session, while others will require subsequent sessions. The most suitable frequency of this therapeutic treatment varies for each individual.

Following your percutaneous nueromodulation therapy, you may find improvements such as increased physical activity, reduced need for pain medication, better quality of sleep, more pain control and lower levels of disability.

If you suffer with lower back pain, you don't have to be a slave to the condition. Effective treatment options are available, including PNT sessions, which can provide the relief you need to get back on your feet.

Article Source: http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com

Author Ambrose Hutson loves writing for several web magazines, on healthy living and exercise fitness themes.

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