Simple Tips for Lower Back Pain Relief
Back pain is a problem for many people. In fact, it is the most common cause of chronic pain and the most common cause of disability in those younger than 45.
Life presents enough challenges when you feel your best, and chronic pain – particularly in the lower back, an area crucial to almost every type of activity – can massively impact your life.
Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to help prevent and alleviate lower back pain. Below are a few of our favorite tips:
Exercise your core. The muscles that surround your middle body play a crucial role in supporting you back. And when we say “core,” we don’t just mean abs (though those are important, too). Exercises that strengthen your back muscles, obliques (side abs), and even your gluteus (rear end) and leg muscles all contribute to the stabilization of your core, which in turn protects your back from pain.
If you aren’t already familiar with how to exercise your core muscles, don’t worry – you don’t have to do complicated crunches. Simply sitting upright on a Swiss ball for 30 minutes a day offers a great core workout.
Stretch your hamstrings. One simple fix for lower back pain in making hamstring stretches part of your everyday routine. Your hamstring is the muscle located on the backs of your thighs, and tight hamstrings can seriously stress the lower back.
The classic hamstring stretch is to “touch your toes,” but this has the potential to exacerbate back pain. A good alternative is a chair stretch: sit in a straight backed chair and put your leg out straight onto another chair. Then, gently stretch your arm towards the toes of the outstretched leg. Be gentle and stop pushing once you feel a slight stretching sensation in your hamstrings.
Stretching your hamstrings twice a day for 5-10 ten minutes can be a simple solution to your back pain.
Try applying hot and/or cold. It may seem old-fashioned, but applying a heating pad or ice pack to the painful area can have serious benefits.
Applying cold to the affected area can reduce inflammation, which is often the cause of – or at least one contributing factor to – back pain. Cold also helps by inhibiting nerve reactions and is a great solution if you are experiencing spasms.
Applying hot, whether through a heating pad, hot water bottle, or taking a hot shower or bath, has a relaxing effect on the body and can inhibit how the brain registers pain. Heat also helps blood flow, which can speed up the healing process.
Get better sleep. For those with chronic back pain, good sleep can be hard to come by. The irony here is: not getting enough good sleep can contribute to worse pain. In addition, lack of sleep can disrupt brain function and lead to additional health problems down the road.
If you experience chronic pain and sleep issues, it is important to address them as soon as possible. Everyday good-sleep habits can help get you back on track, like making sure your room is completely dark, logging off electronics at least an hour before bed, and going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day.
Meditation, mindfulness, and aromatherapy can also help you overcome psychological barriers to sleep, and applying a heating pad to the painful area can be relaxing, as well as therapeutic.
Finally, you may consider consulting your doctor about medical interventions to help you alleviate back pain and get better sleep.
Try “non-traditional” approaches to pain relief. If you are tired of relying on medication to alleviate back pain, it may be time to consider visiting a chiropractor or other “alternative” health practitioner. A chiropractor can not only help diagnose the cause of your back pain, but can provide in-office solutions like adjustments and massage and give you tips for managing pain on a daily basis. Other types of alternative therapy that help alleviate pain and its causes are reflexology, acupuncture, acupressure, and aromatherapy. Read more about alternative approaches to traditional medicine here.
At Kennedy Chiropractic, we are committed to helping you feel your best. Proudly serving patients with experienced chiropractic solutions in Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Brookfield and surrounding communities…give us a call to set up an appointment today.
