Lower back pain is a seriously troublesome issue for anyone unfortunate enough to experience it. It can be so bad that it leaves an otherwise completely healthy person unable to function or even get out of the bed, so it’s no wander that there are so many different treatments for treating the lower back pain. Most doctors who are dealing with the issue on daily bases agree that muscle relaxants like Soma (Carisoprodol) are in fact the most efficient way to deal with the pain and muscle spasms that are located in the lower back. It’s no surprise that most patients who visit doctors with the issue are prescribed Soma or similar medication.
Carisoprodol (Soma) and other muscle relaxants help with lower pain by reveling the muscle tension that causes it. This results in not just the lessening or complete dissidence of pain, but also the increase in mobility as well. In all studies that were conducted to test the effectiveness of muscle relaxants for treatment of acute lower back issues, it’s been shown that they are far more effective than placebo or regular pain killers, both over the counter and prescription. And what’s more, muscle relaxants have a much lower chance of side effects when used properly than other pain management drugs.
This might be a good place to address the very term “muscle relaxants”. Though it does a good job to explain what medications like Soma (Carisoprodol) do, it’s too broad and includes a whole range of drugs that can have very different mechanisms of action and indications. Most muscle relaxants can be divided into two categories, based on their mechanism of action – antispasticity and antispasmodic.
Soma (Carisoprodol) is a antispasmodic, and is a representative of this group with muscle relaxants along with metaxalone. It has strong antispasmodic and mildly to moderately sedative effect. It works by interfering with the inter-neural activity in the spinal cord and the descending reticular portion of the central nervous system. When ingested, Carisoprodol is quickly metabolized and used by the body in the form of meprobamate. Meprobamate was used as an anti anxiety medication way back in the fifties, and it was used for a long time to treat anxiety, tension, as well as the muscle spasms that are often associated with the condition. However, Meprobamate has been replaced by other drugs as an treatment for anxiety, but it’s effects on reveling muscle pain, spasms and tension were not replaced by them, and that’s why it still has it’s place in the modern pharmacology, in the form of Soma (Carisoprodol).
Some medical professionals believe that muscle relaxants are not the optimal way of treating lower back pain, because of the possible side effects and their effect on the central nervous system. Although there is a potential for muscle relaxant abuse and a slight chance of developing an dependency to them, when used responsibly, muscle relaxants are both safe and effective. This is exactly why most doctors (in fact, ninety-one percent according to the most recent surveys) still regularly use muscle relaxants for treatment of lower back pain.