Okay you have endured the pain in your back for weeks maybe months or longer. Your doctor is now recommending surgery and right now you’ll do anything to stop the pain. I know where you are coming from. I’ve been there, done that and lived to talk about it. But wait! Have you consider these three things Now I’m not a doctor or a medical expert on back surgery. I’m just a guy who injured his lower back and for months endured the pain of a herniated disc. Some days the pain was so bad I would of done anything to stop it. Finally not really knowing any other options had surgery on May 11, 2009.

I do have to say my surgeon and his staff were great! The operation went well and I’m now recovering at home and feel much better. However I wished I knew then what I know now about back surgery. Below are three things you should consider first before undergoing the “knife’.

1. There a number of very real risks involved in any type of back surgery. I don’t have the space here to go into all the risks involved. Let’s just say that any procedure that is done so close to your spinal cord should be taken seriously.

2. Recovery can be lengthy my doctor said that I can expect it to take a year or more before am completely pain free. Now that’s the good news! The bad news is I may never be 100%.

3. My operation was relatively minor back surgery ( Of course any back surgery is a BIG DEAL!) I still have 4-6 weeks out of work - for two weeks I have to stay flat on my back.

I don’t want to scare anyone from having surgery. My purpose here is simply to make you aware of how much back surgery can affect your life. Again for me back surgery seems to have been successful. However there are alternatives to a back operation that are non-invasive. Personally I wish I had explored these alternatives before I had my surgery. Now that I have plenty of time to surf the web (I’m lying with my laptop on my tummy) I’m finding Lot’s of information on other options.

One of these option is called Muscle Balance Therapy. One of the leading proponents of this treatment is Jesse Kanone of the Healthy Back Institute. He has developed a program called The Lose The Back Pain System. This system has helped thousands live pain free. I would strongly encourage anyone suffer ring from back pain.. The way I see it is that non-evasive, non-surgical procedures make sense. If all else fails you can always have the operation.

Back pain is a real pain in your back! You want relief now but would like to try some natural home remedies before resorting to prescription drugs, spinal injections and/or surgery. Here five natural pain remedies that can help relief your discomfort.

1. Try icing it: Applying an ice pack can reduce inflammation and soothe your pain. I keep a larger zip lock bag filled with crushed ice in the freezer. Fifteen to twenty minutes is usually all it takes to calm down my back. Here’s a tip when my back is really bad I alternate ice and heat try it.

2. Take a hot bath: Try soaking in a tub of hot water for 20 minutes or more. A warm bath can work wonders. Of course use ice first, but after 48 hours a warm bath or even a shower can help back muscles relax.

3. Buy a new mattress: If your mattress is more than ten years old a new mattress is a good investment. If your budget is tight try putting a 3/4″ sheet of plywood under the mattress.

4. Try a massage: Local massage therapists may make house calls if you don’t feel able to visit one of them. Or you can ask a spouse or friend to gently knead your back muscles. There’s lots of info on line or go to your local library for a book on massage. Either way it will relax you and soothe those aching muscles.

5. Relax: Learn and practice a relaxation technique, such as meditation, or try a deep-breathing exercise, such as closing your eyes, breathing slowly and deeply, and counting backward from 100. A lot of pain back is the result of emotional tension and relaxation techniques can help.

Hopefully the above methods will bring you some relief. I have tried most of them and they do work. Of course they are not meant to replace professional help, but they are non-evasive, have no side effects and can be done for no or little cost. The next step is to explore other non evasive methods, One of the best is the Lose The Back Pain System by the Healthy Back Institute. This system has helped thousands. I only wish I had known about it earlier, I may not have needed surgery.

If you are like the majority of back pain sufferers, you start each day with a soreness or stiffness in your lower back. Morning back pain is a wake up call from your body. Don’t ignore it.

If you look on the web for solutions to the problem, you can find all kinds of advice. Most of it conflicts. And a good portion of it says you should go to a doctor, as if they can help.

If you have morning back pain, it is being caused by your back adjusting to a new misalignment. You could just as easily have moved your back in the right direction with a simple extension exercise before bed.

All too often back pain is met with the attitude that someone else must fix it. Modern medicine and advertising has convinced everyone that you must have a medical degree or a prescription pad in order to deal with pain. It is your body, your pain, and your responsibility to do what it takes to make it go away.

I also know that if you suffer from severe pain in the mornings, you feel it all day to a lesser extent. If that is you, you have progressed to the point of chronic inflammation and you can be prepared to suffer with it for a long time if you don’t correct the problem.

Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers may help you function through the problem, but they do nothing to address it. You can be sure that the pain will return, only worse and longer in duration.

If you have morning back pain, you can manage the pain or deal with it’s source and cause. The choice is yours in the end. It is so easy to do a simple extension exercise before bed time so your body can use the sleep time to readjust in the right direction.

Your morning back pain may just change to overnight healing that addresses the cause of the pain and corrects it over time.