Practices To Relieve Back Pain
When you have acute back pain, all you are looking for is a quick fix to get the pain away quickly, which is probably limiting you in your activities.
In this article, we will look at a series of remedies that can have an immediate positive effect on your back pain, without going through pharmacology. There are other practices to help relieve back pain, such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture, among others, which are 100% effective in relieving back pain. They do not “contrast” with each other, on the contrary, you can combine them to look for a greater effect.
After the acute phase, it will be your job to try not to relapse. To understand how not to fall into acute back pain again, read the next paragraph, and then begin the review of remedies!
Remember: when you have a health problem, especially if you are talking about a problem that arises for the first time, the correct thing to do is to contact your doctor. Don't forget to do this and to follow his directions first.
Back pain causes
Most cases of back pain are caused by poor posture and/or improper movements. Spending most of the day hunched over a desk or sofa is a surefire way to develop back pain. A sedentary lifestyle is also a risk factor, which is reflected in cases of diabetes and heart disease. It also reduces life expectancy.
Most people living in industrialized societies assume a posture that is anything but ideal. By understanding the functional biomechanics of the body, you can learn to optimize the way you move at all times. This, in turn, prevents injury and pain from developing. Most adults will experience lower back pain in their lifetime. This is the most common cause of work-related disability.
Pain-relieving medications are among the most common treatments followed by steroid injections and surgery. In addition to having many side effects, none of these solutions tend to promote total recovery. This is precisely why natural remedies are so important. Before considering medications, injections, or surgery, try these 10 tips for fighting back pain.
Can back pain be something serious?
Generally, it resolves with a little rest and anti-inflammatory analgesics such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or paracetamol. Other non-addictive medications include muscle relaxants which can be prescribed by a doctor and temporarily used until exercise or physical therapy can be given.
Avoid narcotics to treat low back pain routinely. These drugs can cause constipation and addiction, among other adverse side effects. They should only be taken in cases of severe acute pain and under the supervision of a doctor.
NOTE: Here are the symptoms that should prompt you to seek immediate medical attention:
- The pain radiates to the lower legs
- Numbness or weakness in the groin or legs
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Fever
- Pain or night sweats
Walking
For a large majority of people, walking is another way for reduces back pain. The reason is simple: in all musculoskeletal problems, the low-load, low-amplitude movement reduces inflammation and promotes joint lubrication.
Walking does just that: light movement, minimal but continuous load. The minimum effectiveness threshold is 10-15 minutes, but you can try longer timings, up to 60 minutes.
Chiropractic care
Chiropractic is an alternative medicine practice, focused on manual manipulation of the spine. Chiropractic bases its principles on the idea that a targeted action on the spine improves the functionality of the nervous system and, consequently, the health of the person. Seeing a qualified chiropractor is a good option if you suffer from any type of chronic pain, including back pain.
Stretching your muscles
Stretching facilitates muscle function. It reduces the risk of injuries because it gently accustoms the muscle to the extreme stretch that occurs abruptly in training or competition. Reduces the risk of cramps and contractures. Increase the range of motion of muscles, tendons, and joints.
During one study, participants who took 52-minute stretching classes (emphasizing trunk and leg stretching) received back pain relief like those who took yoga classes.
The importance of resistance exercises
Resistance is one of the most important factors during training. Resistance exercises help strengthen the back and heart muscles, which are essential for both pain relief and prevention of injury. Fatigue is a situation that cannot be avoided, at a certain point of physical activity it is impossible not to feel tired. But with good stamina, you can manage to postpone this moment as long as possible. Resistance directly positively affects health.
Yoga Meditation
Yoga meditation improves memory and concentration. Relieves stress and increases productivity at work. It allows reducing physical pain, without any side effects, unlike drugs.
Meditation can be a powerful pain reliever. By attending four 20-minute lessons, you are already experiencing noticeable pain relief. Yoga, is particularly helpful in promoting flexibility, is helpful in cases of back pain. Taking yoga classes is more effective than resorting to drug treatments or physical therapy.
Muscle Massage
The massage releases endorphins, which help induce relaxation and relieve pain. Massage therapy for 10 weeks offers tremendous relief for back pain and the benefits last for at least six months.
Massaging is probably the most obvious and best-known effect by all. Massaging the muscles releases tension, muscle contractures, and trigger points that are created and accumulated during the day or during an intense workout.
This new level of relaxation and looseness brings inevitable advantages also at the bone and joint level: greater elasticity, amplitude, and ease of movement with a consequent greater ability to use one’s physical means.
Postural “discharge”
Acute back pain is often linked to inflammation of structures such as the vertebral discs and the joints between one vertebra and another. Being able to put these structures in the “unloaded” position for at least 10-15 minutes can promote anti-inflammatory processes. To unload the vertebral structures simply, you can lie down on the ground and put your calves on a chair, so that they form two angles of 90 degrees. In this position, there is a noticeable relaxation of the psoas muscle, which reduces the pressure on the spine.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) is one of the most used electrostimulation modalities in the field of physical medicine. The purpose of TENS is quite simple: to stimulate some nerve fibers, which seem to “close the gate” to painful stimuli.
A bit the same as when we take a blow and touch the part that hurts us: the tactile stimulation of the hand immediately reduces the painful stimulus. Obviously, TENS does not work miracles, but it has very low contraindications, and can also be used for 1-2 hours a day without problems. A portable home appliance now has negligible costs, so it may be worth buying even if it is assumed that its use is temporary.
Osteopathic manipulation
Osteopathic manipulation can involve moving the joints into position, massaging the soft tissues, and helping to relax stressed muscles. It is known to reduce chronic low back pain.
Manipulations (or trusts) are maneuvers performed by physiotherapists to reduce the patient’s pain and symptoms. They have been used in medicine for several millennia in more or less all parts of the world. The manipulations, when performed correctly, are not painful and have essentially no contraindications.
Warm compresses
When the muscles are sore and stiff, heat therapy is more indicated because the heat helps to melt and relax muscle contractures and tensions. It increases circulation by expanding blood vessels: this reduces pain.
In addition, heat also increases the supply of nutrients (through the blood) to the injured area, aiding the healing process, while helping the body’s cells to get rid of waste products, which can make the situation worse.
Acute pain generally equates to an inflammatory state. Inflammatory states, more or less everyone knows, are increased by heat and reduced by cold. Logic would then say that it is convenient to make an ice pack rather than a hot pack, right?
The application of ice can be a valid solution, with very few if any contraindications. However, a large majority of people derive greater benefit from applying hot packs (or the classic hot shower) for one simple reason: in back pain, much of the pain is often caused by severe muscle contracture. Heat has a known muscle relaxation effect, which explains why many people find it beneficial, even in the acute phases.
