Lower Back Pain Relief from Home

At our Seattle Chiropractic office, we try to give our patients the tools to use at home if they should have another episode of back pain. This article explores 5 options that you can try before having to make an appointment in our office. We hope you get some helpful tips here!

1) Chill out

If you have just recently started suffering from lower back pain, the first thing you should do is apply ice or another cold object to the area in pain. Ice is typically most effective when applied as soon as possible. This means grab the ice pack and chill out within 24 to 48 hours of when you first felt the pain. Colder temperatures allow the veins in the tissues to contract, which in turn reduces circulation. As soon as the cold is removed and the temperature rises, the veins begin to overcompensate and dilate as blood begins to rush into the injured area. This blood delivers necessary nutrients to the affected area which help the injured back muscles heal properly. During the first 48 hours, you should avoid applying heat to the affected area. Even if heat feels good, it’s only covering up the pain and it does nothing to help relax the affected muscles. In fact, adding heat prematurely may cause more inflammation and worsen your symptoms initially. After 48 hours, you can begin to utilize heat therapy if you prefer. When using heat or ice therapy, be sure to remove the source and give your skin a break every 20 minutes or so.

2) Natural painkillers

If you suffer from lower back pain regularly, you may not want to take prescription medications to relieve the pain every time you have an episode. The good news is that the human body can produce hormones that act as natural painkillers, called endorphins. What your doctor may not tell you is that endorphins can be as strong and effective as prescription pain medications. Endorphins not only block pain signals in the brain, but they can also be responsible for feelings of pleasure. By blocking pain and providing feelings of pleasure, endorphins also relieve pain by alleviating stress, anxiety and depression. Aerobic exercise, meditation, and massage therapy are three simple ways to get the natural painkiller juices flowing.

3) Back strengthening exercises

Back strengthening exercises help your back withstand greater stress and protect the spine. Conditioning your back with strengthening exercises can at the very minimum help alleviate some of the lower back pain caused by your back condition. More importantly, a well conditioned back can help you avoid injury altogether as well as minimize the severity when and if you do injure your back.

Most back strengthening exercises are focused on more than just the back itself, often including core muscles in the stomach and buttocks areas of your body. Strengthened core muscles provide relief from back pain by supporting the spine and assisting in movement and alignment.

The two most popular back strengthening exercises include Dynamic Lumbar Stabilization and McKenzie exercises. It is recommended you have these exercises introduced and taught to you by a professional, such as a physical therapist. When performing these exercises, you want to be assured you have have proper form and are executing them properly for relieving your back pain. McKenzie exercises and Dynamic Lumbar Stabilization exercises are usually recommended for specific conditions and you should always check with your doctor before performing any new exercises for back pain relief.

4) Live ergonomically

Many of us are stuck at a desk for eight or more hours a day and unfortunately our bodies are not specifically designed for it. Ergonomics attempts to minimize the forces acting on the body in the workplace. More and more people are beginning to organize their workplaces with ergonomic products that remove or minimize the forces working against their body. Things like hunching forward at the computer or sitting at a desk for hours on end can easily be prevented with the right tools. By using a desk chair with lower back support and the freedom to keep your feet planted firmly on the floor you will incur less stress on your body over time. Other common products include ergonomic shoes and even standing desks that raise and lower with the flip of a switch.

I like to think that part of living ergonomically requires us as capable humans to actively work on removing the forces acting against our bodies as well. Whether you are sitting or standing, you should try to be aware of your posture. An easy way to think about it is to focus on keeping your ears, shoulders, and hips aligned. Bad posture may not cause severe back pain on its own, but it sure can make it worse.

5) Remain active

If you’ve just recently injured your back and are suffering from extreme pain, take a couple days off. But if you can, you should try to be as active as you can without over doing it. Many people believe they should stay in bed and let their body heal during this time, but lying down for long periods of time may only make matters worse and regular movement will help you keep your muscles strong. It’s typically recommended to keep your daily routine as long as you can perform normal activities without making your pain worse. The most important factor to effectively relieving lower back pain by remaining active is to simply not overdo it. If you are finding trouble being active with the level of pain you are in, try something low impact and keep it simple until you are able to do more comfortably.

This article was originally posted here.

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