GUIDELINES For Successfully Managing Back Pain
Every year, millions of adults in all age groups suffer from the discomfort and stress associated with chronic back pain. In fact, this condition is one of the most common ailments reported in the United States. The information in this article offers insight into the various options available to those who experience back pain.
Hop in the shower. Taking a bath might sound nice, but lying in the tub might hurt your back. A shower is usually ideal if you are not in too much pain to stand. Stand with your back to the hot water and try to relax. It can be very soothing.
Take over-the-counter pain medications first. A simple over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can usually take the edge off most backaches. Follow the instructions on the label, and take it as directed when your back starts acting up. If it isn't enough, consider paying a visit to your doctor.
To help relieve back pain resulting from strained or injured back muscles, give your back plenty of rest. Strained back muscles need rest and recovery, which speeds up the healing process. Try lying on your back or on your side, whichever is most comfortable for you. Keep your spine properly aligned in its normal position. Some people find that lying on firm surfaces, like a firm mattress or a carpeted floor, helps immensely.
Consider switching your most commonly used chair into an ergonomic chair. There are several ergonomically designed chairs these days that are made just for those that are sitting at a desk or sitting up all day. These chairs promote better positioning within the chair, thus offering a greater amount of comfort and less stress on your back.
To properly treat back pain and swelling with ice while avoiding damaging sensitive skin, be sure to use care when applying the ice. Avoid applying ice directly to the skin. To create your own ice pack, use ice cubes or chips wrapped in a soft, dampened towel. Apply the ice pack to the injured area for no longer than 15 minutes.
It is important to learn how to lift safely in order to avoid back pain and injury. When you lift safely, you use the large muscles in your legs to spare your back. Bend at the knees, suck your stomach in and keep the item close to your body as you lift.
Both very active occupations and also jobs in which there is minimal movement can be detrimental to your back. Constantly lifting, pushing and maneuvering in odd ways can really hurt your back and you should always pay attention to your movements. Also, not moving often enough can also cause a lot of back pain if you do not take the proper precautions.
If you suffer from back pain, remember to stay aware of your posture when sitting down. This is especially important for those who sit in an office chair all day because slumping over your desk can do a number on your spine. Remember to have the soles of your feet flat on the ground and your back as straight and upright as possible.
Quitting smoking can help to ease back pain. People who smoke, especially heavy smokers, do not have as much blood flow to the spine as those who don't smoke. Without a sufficient amount of blood flow to the spine, your back will hurt.
Proper stretching is probably one of the best ways you can work to eliminate frequent back pain. When you stretch, whether you're doing toe touches, sit-ups or side bends, you are loosening the muscles and relieving some of the tension there. A failure to stretch properly could lead to a pulled muscle or spasms.
Always avoid any back surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. Sometimes a slipped disc can be surgically repaired, but there may be other ways to treat it. Some will opt for the surgery because they believe it's a quicker fix for back pain, but anything can go wrong under the knife.
Make sure you are stretching on a consistent basis if you are looking to reduce back pain! Every half an hour of office work, take a few minutes to stretch. Make sure you stretch not only your back muscles, but also your arms and shoulders! You'll find, if you make this a consistent habit, that your back pain is greatly relieved!
Back aches can cause crippling pain, and anti-inflammatory medication is your best bet if you're going through the over-the-counter route. Tylenol and other medicines do well on relieving pain, but choose something containing mostly ibuprofen. This anti-inflammatory drug will help to relieve back pain better than other meds you can take.
A tried-and-true way to relieve back pain is to use a heating pad. By using an electric heating pad, you can work to soothe the muscles and pain associated with moderate and even severe back pain. Also, heating pads have various settings to allow you to control the level of heat you desire.
If you have noticed that you keep getting back pain during the day, you need to figure out what is causing this in order to fix it. When you think you know what is causing the pain, make sure to change that behavior or action, and check to see if your pain lessens.
Hopefully this article has provided you with some much needed advice on solving the problems presented by your back pain. From the dull ache to the excruciating pinching, back pain can really interfere with your ability to perform the most basic daily activities, work, and even sleeping right. Take the tips Lower back pain relief from this article, and put them to good use in alleviating your back pain today.