One of the most complicated medical realities that can affect the quality of someone’s life is chronic back pain. But no matter the cause of the pain—such as adolescent or adult scoliosis—thankfully physicians today have at their disposal a greater arsenal of weapons to treat this pain than ever before. From therapy to medication to surgery, it’s highly likely that any and all back pain sufferers have some sort of relief available to them.

However, with today’s multi-disciplinary approach to patient treatment, people who wish to avoid medications or surgery have choices. Read on to discover some alternatives.

Many back pain sufferers have found that chiropractic treatment is beneficial. The basis of such treatment is to correct misalignments in the spine through a serious of body manipulations, stretches and more. When performed consistently, such treatments have been shown to help with pain relief and restore a significant portion of normal movement to patients. And the dangers of chiropractic treatments are extremely low when performed by accredited professionals.

By causing a reaction in various points of the body through the gentle application of a series of needles, acupuncture can ease muscle tension and alleviate pain. Used for millennia to help with a wide array of medical problems, the treatment has been proven to help with problems in the lower back.

Problems with the muscles around the spine are one of the major causes of back pain. And when it comes to helping with that pain, many physicians are quick to recommend some form of massage therapy to their patients. Massage, when performed by a competent and trained therapist, can alleviate tightness in the muscles of the back, giving the patient greater mobility and decreasing the “spasms” that often occur when there are problems in and around the spinal column.

Like the age-old art of acupuncture, meditative exercises have been proven to help some people with lower back pain. Therefore some sufferers embrace relaxation therapies such as meditation or yoga classes, and can attest to their healing capabilities.