Several people suffer from back pain1. It is one of the most common complaints across the globe. Nearly more than 80% of the people will suffer from back pain at least once in their lifetime. Back pain can be irking as it restricts the body’s movement and slows down activities. In extreme cases, you are prescribed a few days of bed rest.
The Top Tips to Get Over Your Back Pain Issue
Here are some simple tips for tackling back pain problems.
1. Light Exercise
Light exercise goes a long way in keeping back pain at bay. Simple activities like walking or jogging can mitigate the problem as it takes the body into a neutral, standing position. Sitting for longer durations can increase back pain. All the same, avoid exercises that can strain your back like pushups or any other challenging workouts. Mainly, avoid the activity that caused you pain, for instance, bending.
2. Practice Good Posture
Poor posture2 is often the chief cause behind back pain. Unknowingly, we put a lot of unnecessary strain on our backs. It might seem like a long day at the gym gave you a nasty pain in the back.
That’s note the reason though – the pressure has been piling up for years due to bad posture. It’s why even leaning the wrong way can put pressure on your back.
Now, what can you do? It all starts with the basics. Practice good posture with some back exercises, stretching, and yoga.
Along with this, slouching is really bad for your back. Avoid slumping over your keyboard. Add a small pillow between your lower back and chair to support your back. You should sit upright and use the back of the chair for support.
3. Sleeping Right
Most of the time, a wrong sleeping position causes back pain. Sleeping on your tummy might put stress on your neck and back and make them stiff. Try to keep your spine in a neutral position. Place a pillow under your knees if you sleep on your back. Whereas, if you sleep on your side, then place a pillow between your knees.
On the other hand, sleeping without the right mattress can contribute to back pain as well. Many people believe that a firm mattress is always better for back pain but in fact, an equally soft mattress proves the same quality. If you seek the right mattress to support your bad back, you should consider sleeping on a medium-firm mattress, which is firm enough to support your back pain while has an equal level of soft feeling to comfort your back during your sleep period3.
4.Try Relaxation Methods
Any tasks that put your mind at rest can work like magic to relieve your back pain. Notably, yoga, meditation, tai chi, stretching, and the like are known to induce relaxation responses and mitigate back pain.
Apart from this, back pain is also associated with depression and anxiety4. Your emotional state is often reflected through physical pain. A therapy session might help you relieve stress and anxiety. Notably, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been reported to decrease back pain over time.
5. Try Hot and Cold Compress
Most of the doctors suggest using ice packs for 48 hours after an injury. This reduces swelling, inflammation, and relieves pain. Then you can switch to heat pads or have a warm bath. However, it is still debated if a heating pad is more advantageous than ice packs or vice versa. It would help if you relieved pain with whatever suits you the best. Don’t forget to wrap ice in a towel to protect your skin. And do not sleep with a heat pad on.
6. Go for a Physical Therapy
Physical therapy takes a long time to prove effective, but it is more of a long-term solution. A physical therapist will teach you how to move correctly, and even stand, walk and sit in the correct position. This therapy will eventually improve your posture, increase flexibility, and takes the pressure off your back. They also work your core muscles and surrounding muscles that support your back.
Apart from this, you can also opt for massages. Regular massages can relax muscles5 and improve mobility. It would be best if you get massages from a licensed practitioner.
7. Don’t take too much rest
Bed rest is not the best way to alleviate back pain. Resting too much can actually worsen your problematic back. After two or three days of rest, you should start your routine activities slowly. If you don’t work your muscles, they will tighten more.
8. Strengthen your core muscles
Tightening and bolstering your core muscles will take some strain off the back. A strong core has proven beneficial in reducing back pain. As the abdomen is made up of several muscles functioning together, core muscles must balance the strain. If the abdominals are weak, the back picks up the extra strain. Thus, bolstering the core muscles is effective in relieving the back pain. This is helpful in case of chronic back pain.
There is no magic pill that makes back pain disappear overnight. Causes of back pain differ from person to person. Stretching and increased flexibility might solve the problem for some. At the same time, stronger core muscles will prove effective in other cases. Overall, a planned exercise routine might help.
- Ehrlich, George E. “Back pain.” The Journal of Rheumatology Supplement 67 (2003): 26-31. ↩︎
- Quka, Najada, D. H. Stratoberdha, and R. Selenica. “Risk factors of poor posture in children and its prevalence.” Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 4 (2015). ↩︎
- Borbély, A. A., and A. Wirz-Justice. “Sleep, sleep deprivation and depression.” Hum Neurobiol 1.205 (1982): 10. ↩︎
- Payne, Peter, and Mardi A. Crane-Godreau. “Meditative movement for depression and anxiety.” Frontiers in psychiatry 4 (2013): 52671. ↩︎
- Jewell, B. R., and D. R. Wilkie. “The mechanical properties of relaxing muscle.” The Journal of physiology 152.1 (1960): 30. ↩︎
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