Back pain is one of the major discomforts most people experience at one point in their life. It can be caused by numerous factors like age, overweight, smoking, lack of exercise, some diseases and other psychological states. In some cases, it can occur without any obvious reasons.
Back pain can occur anywhere from the upper to the lower back, depending on what caused it.
Causes of back pain
- Arthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Muscle strain
- Irregularities in the skeletal structure
- Ruptured disc
- Kidney infection
- osteomyelitis
- Spinal stenosis
- Cancer of the spinal cord
- trauma
- Injuries that makes the nerve roots compressed
- Lifting heavyweight
- Poor posture when sitting down
- Kidney stone
- Constant bending forward
After proper evaluation and diagnosis, treatment is dependent on the cause of the back pain. However, there are effective ways to properly treat back pain.
The method is by self-care, which can also improve the healing process and soothe the back, especially for those with more serious pain.
Ways to relieve back pain effectively includes;
- Yoga
Yoga is a form of meditation exercise that includes breathing and other forms of exercise. It has been proven to help straighten the body as it often encourages good postures.
There are many kinds of yoga practice which target the lower back, the middle back, and the upper back. Each of them comes with their kind of soothing effect.
So you can choose any suitable one depending on the type of back pain.
a. Iyengar yoga: This type of yoga practice targets the lower back, knee, and neck. Those who suffer from chronic back pain are advised to practice this type of yoga for relief.
b. Ashtanga yoga: Has been proved to help in back pain management, as well as ease the associated discomfort. It is a kind of yoga that requires energy.
It is as well good for the spine, but its energetic form of practice can be hard especially for beginners and painful as well. It is highly recommended for those whose back pain is getting severe.
c. Viniyoga: This one focuses on the act of breathing. Anyone who wishes to get relief from neck and back pain should try this. It is very suitable for everyone, including beginners.
d. Bikram yoga: This kind of yoga practice takes place in a heated up room. It’s good to be performed in cold climates, hence helps to relieve back pain through stretching with the help of the heat.
2. Position yourself comfortably
Back pain can be frustrating!. It can leave you numb and discomforting, but staying in a comfortable position can do the magic of soothing the pains.
You can lie on your back or try any other position that suits you when you want to rest or sleep. You can support your knees with a pillow or a raised soft object. In this way, the pain can m minimize.
- Use heat or ice method
From science, it is a well-known fact that heat expands an object (metal) while ice contracts it.
This is also applicable to the human body when you stay in a heated room, use a heating pad or have a warm bath. This loosens stiff muscles, and stiffness is one of the causes of back pain.
When you apply ice using an ice pad or ice pack, allow it to stay for some minutes, then remove it. It provides soothing effects on pains and discomfort that comes with back pain.
However, don’t apply it directly to the skin. Otherwise, it can lead to damage of the nerves and skin. Preferably, you can use a towel to do this.
- Avoid long rest
Resting is good for the body and helps the muscles to relax, but in the case of helping to soothe back pain, it is not effective. Notwithstanding, it depends on the type of backache you experience.
It is recommended to try as such as possible to keep the body actives. Resting the body for too long can cause or make the nerves stiffer.
- Take pain relievers
You can try some of them over the counter medications to help ease back pain. Though, on the other hand, it does not cure back pain but temporarily helps to ease the pain at the moment.
Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, etc., should not be used as a long term medication. Try to consult your doctor before commencing any medication.
- Try a topical analgesic balm
This is one of the self-care solutions to backache that has proven effective. It is very effective in the treatments of aches or pains, though the minor ones.
It works by allowing the heat effect of the balm to penetrate the body, helping by making the stiff muscles of the back or anywhere it was applied on to be loose.
- Practice good posture
Posture has a great effect on the spinal curvature, either positively or negatively. Bad posture has been one of the underlying causes of back pain, it can also increase an already existing pain.
This can be one of the factors for back pain, especially for sedentary workers. It can be corrected by sitting up straight and avoiding slouching while at work.
You can also help to support your lower back with a soft pillow while sitting to keep the back straight.
- Exercise
Exercise is one of the ways to relieve you of back pain. There are a variety of exercises, but you should engage in the right ones. Some exercises can worsen the situation, so in this case, you may need professional advice.
Exercise like stretching, swimming, Ta Chi, walking, yoga can help your spine, strengthen the muscles of the back and ease the pain.
- Massage regularly
This is one of the effective ways to get rid of chronic back pain. It helps in reducing the tension impacted on the muscles.
This is usually done by a massage therapist to help you recover from lost mobility. Also, to make you get relieved from structural problems.
To get a long term relief or full recovery from back pain, it is strongly advised that you engage in massage therapy for over 2months.
- Try nerve stimulation
Nerve stimulation is a type of stimulation that uses electrical means to relax the muscles. It is mostly used to provide relief for people who have chronic back pain.
It focuses on treating nerve pains when other therapeutic means might have failed. It can also help to relax the muscles, restore injury on the spinal cord which are caused by nerve damage.
It has so many benefits such as improving muscle rehabilitation, reducing discomfort and swelling of the joint.
Additionally, increases blood circulation. This method is also called transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Acupuncture
Those with chronic back pain can try acupuncture for relief. Acupuncture works for all kinds of back pain, although individuals with lower back pain have been observed to get relief more than the other.
This has been one of the old methods of easing the body of stress and pain. It is done by inserting special needles on the back of the patient. These needles go-to strategic parts of the body for effective results.
- Chiropractic care
This is a therapeutic means of helping patients get relieved from acute back pain. Though it mostly focuses on the lower back and other issues that can cause joint, nerve and muscle problems.
A chiropractor uses many methods in treating back pain. Some of the methods are adjustment methods and spinal manipulation.
Certainly, the method used may depend on the result of the diagnostic imaging or physical examination. The practice of using this kind of method is considered safe.
- Stop activities that might cause pain
Certain things we do every day can trigger back pain. To have some relief over this, you have to observe the triggers and avoid them. If it’s a must-do tasks, you can continue when you get okay.
This should not discourage you from other things that might help. Activities such as walking, are simple exercises that are effective in treating backache.
- Try hydrotherapy
Some people have testified this method to have helped them ease their back pain. It is also known as a cure for some other ailments, using water.
This can be done using the whirlpool, hydro massage, contrast bath, and related other therapies to treat back pain. It helps to improve lost mobility and muscle strength.
- Injections
This is one of the last things to consider when having back pain. When you must have tried other ways and it didn’t yield a positive result, then injection can become an option.
It should be done by a medical practitioner, using cortisone shots or other injections that help in reducing inflammation. Although the pain is likely to come back after some weeks, it can keep you relieve at the moment.
The spinal cord is the sight of the injection. It does not only help to relieve pain but also makes the nerve roots not to be inflamed, that is, reduces inflammation.
- Surgery
Most people don’t need surgery for the treatment of back pain, except in severe cases. This may also depend on the underlying cause of back pain.
The situation must have been accompanied by other signs and symptoms before surgery is recommended. Symptoms such as restless legs, non-stop severe pain, spinal stenosis, etc. can be the sign to go for surgery.
In this case, if the back pain is not treated or managed effectively, it can lead to disability
Summary
Back pains tend to resolve when self-care remedies are applied and can last from a few days or weeks. On the other hand, see your doctor immediately if you experience severe back pain along with
- .Unsteady feet due to weakness in the muscle
- .Uncontrollable bowel
- .Intense stomach pain
- .A feeling of unrest that deprives you sleep
- .Persistent sweat and fever which might come with chills.
