Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed, but for the 1.5 billion people across the globe that struggle with chronic pain, life can be miserable. The back, hips, and knees are some of the most common areas where suffers experience constant pain. While the exact nature of that pain varies from person to person, sports medicine experts such as an orthopedic surgeon can help identify the problem and help patients live their lives without constant pain.

Treatment Options for Chronic Joint Pain

There are different kinds of pain and thereby different methods of treatment. Physical therapy can sometimes help sufferers increase their range of motion and joint use that can often be limited due to the pain. Physicians rely on medication such as anti-inflammatories to reduce swelling and pain. As someone who has struggled with chronic knee pain in the past, knowing when to consult an orthopedist is something that only the you, the patient, can answer. Orthopedic surgery has the potential to repair or replace joints, offering an answer to the question of chronic joint pain.

Treatment Options for Chronic Back Pain

Chronic back pain can be an entirely different beast due to the role of the spine with respect to the central nervous system: muscle, bone, and nerve pain could all result in chronic back pain. Up to 80% of the population will experience some kind of back problem within their lifetime; up to half of all of today’s working Americans admit that they have symptoms of back pain. Therapy and medicine may be effective treatment options for some; surgery may be the best answer for others. New minimally invasive spine procedures are changing the way patients see back pain. In these minimally invasive spine procedures, a small “keyhole” incision typically measuring less than an inch is made to give the surgeon access to the spine. With minimally invasive surgery, patients see a significantly shorter recovery time with hospital discharges occurring within just two or three days. As medicine continues to advance, more surgeries are utilizing minimally invasive methods to shorten recovery times, decrease pain, and allow patients to start enjoying life again sooner.