Back Pain is quite a common condition that everybody faces at some point in their life. For some cases, it could be acute pain caused due to strain in muscle or ligament. While it could be chronic (lasting for more than three months) for older people and others. But whatever your case might be, back pain is really frustrating and may limit yourself to continuing your daily routine.

Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do to help ease your back pain. In this post, you’ll learn about 5 easy ways to relieve your back pain and get back to feeling better.

Some Common Causes of Back Pain

Back pain problems are usually age-related. However, it can also result in young individuals due to their lifestyle or a prior injury.

Let’s look at different factors that cause back pain issues in people:

Strain

One of the common causes of back pain is from strain, tension, or an injury. People involved with activities such as lifting excessive weights, involuntary movement, etc. tend to face acute back pain that may grow to become chronic if not taken seriously.

People involved with injuries, fractures, or falls may experience subacute back pain that typically lasts for around 4 to 12 weeks.

Structure

There are various structural concerns that lead to back pain issues. Some of these are listed below:

• Ruptured or bulging disks – Every vertebra is cushioned by different disks in the spine. If these disks get ruptured or bulge, there will be more pressure put on nerves, resulting in the back pain.

• Sciatica – A sharp pain that strikes the buttocks and all the way down to the back of the legs. It’s usually caused by a bulging or herniated disk that pressurizes a nerve.

• Arthritis – Osteoarthritis is associated with lower back problems. In some cases, it develops into spinal stenosis when the arthritis causes narrowing of the space around the spine.

There are other structural problems such as abnormal spine curvature, osteoporosis, etc. that cause back pain.

Posture and Movement

Adopting a hunched posture when sitting or lying can result in increased pain in the back and shoulders. In modern day jobs, individuals have to sit continuously for 8 to 9 hours in front of computers, which is the main reason for such back pain problems.

People also experience back pain from everyday activities such as:

• Over-stretching

• Long driving

• Sleeping on a poor mattress that doesn’t support their body

• Bending awkwardly

• Coughing or sneezing

• Straining the neck while doing their work, and more.

Medical Condition

There are other medical conditions that lead to back pain. It could be due to infection or cancer in the spinal cord, sleep disorders, shingles, etc. For such issues, doctors usually prescribe medications along with some mild exercises that help the patients.

Now that we have listed the causes, it’s time to dive deeper into the solution. We have discussed some easy steps that help in relieving your back pain.

Relieve Your Back Pain in 5 Easy Steps

Here are 5 easy ways that will help you with back pain relief. All of these steps have been tried and experimented over the years successfully. We recommend you to give them a try and let us know what works best for you.

1. Improve your posture and sitting habits

As per a study, poor body posture is commonly related to non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). Therefore, it’s in your best interest that you should pay attention to the muscles and joints of your hips and spine.

Implementing good posture habits in your daily activities can help in relieving your back pain. These everyday activities could range from cleaning your house to sitting in front of your computer during office hours. You can easily avoid putting too much fatigue and stress on your joints by following a few tips:

• Remind yourself to check your posture – You should always consider checking your posture every 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust your neck, shoulders and back to avoid putting strain on your spine. You can start by putting a simple reminder on your phone. After a week or two, you’ll get in the habit of maintaining a good posture.
  
  

• Avoid excessive sitting at one go – Sitting for a long duration puts unnecessary pressure on your spinal disks. Try aiming to get up every hour and walk a short distance for about 5 to 10 minutes. You can also get a standing work desk that will help take the load off your disks.
  
  

• Switch between the activities – Consider switching the activity to avoid the muscles from getting overly-fatigued. Let’s say you’re vacuuming your house for some time; you should consider switching to another activity where you can sit down or maybe take a break.

If you start facing back pain at any point, consider taking your mind off by listening to some soothing music, reading a book or anything you like.

2. Exercise your core muscles

Although it may seem foolish to exercise when your back hurts like anything, the right muscle movement can help alleviate your pain. Staying active and keeping your muscles around the spine strong is important for back pain relief. For that, gentle exercise and yoga play a crucial role.

Regular exercises lead to less frequent episodes of back pain. If you’re trying to exercise after a long gap or for the first time, start off gently and gradually increase the amount of exercise day by day. You should always pick those exercises that are effective and you enjoy doing them.

There are tons of exercises that have proven to be helpful:

• Yoga and meditation – It improves mobility while focussing on the mental and physical function of your body. Many studies and researches have quoted yoga to successfully help people with back pain relief.
  
  

• Pilates – It provides strength to core muscles of your back, gives good alignment and provides gentle stretches for tightening the muscles in your back.
  
  

• Tai chi – The traditional Chinese exercise works on strength, balance, flexibility, coordination, posture, and stamina. With focussed and rhythmical breathing, tai chi helps in producing oxygenated blood flow to muscles and brain in the body.
  
  

• Walking or running – It is certainly a cost-effective way of improving your health and strengthening the muscles in your body. You could take a simple walk or jog around the park in your neighbourhood and make sure to enjoy the weather.
  
  

• Swimming – Studies suggest that aquatic exercises help relieve back pain problems. Therefore, swimming is the best exercise you can go for. It’s not just a cardiovascular activity that burns calories but also strengthens the muscles. The buoyancy of the water acts as a counterbalance that decreases the compressive impact of the spine. Many people consider swimming therapeutic and refreshing.

Always remember to check and adjust your posture when doing these exercises. It’ll help reduce the possibility of any fatigue.

3. Use ice and heat therapy

Another effective method to get relief from back pain is ice and heat therapy. Using ice and heated packs can help reduce swelling and soothe your back pain. This technique can help alleviate certain varieties of aches persisting in your back. If you experience sustained lower back pain from an injury such as a fall or accident, then ice and heat therapy is a perfect solution.

Ice packs

Using cold or ice packs helps in reducing the swelling and inflammation in muscles. Cold has a numbing effect for sharp and sudden back pain. There are a variety of special pain relief packs available in stores, or a bag of ice will also do the job for you. If you’re using a bag of ice, make sure to cover it with a towel when applying – it’ll help protect your skin from frostbite. Ensure to apply ice packs for at least 20 minutes in a relaxing position.

Heat pads

A heat pad helps to provide a soothing effect on an achy back. It increases the flow of blood to the affected area. But be careful when using these heat pads and must follow the instructions to avoid burns and rashness from it. If you don’t have a heat pad, you can use a hot water bottle or try taking warm baths – it’ll surely help your muscles relax.

If your back pain is acute, you should apply cold packs and then the heated pads. However, if you’re experiencing sub-acute or chronic pain, apply mild heat continuously for about half an hour.

4. Get enough sleep

Difficulty in falling asleep or getting enough sleep is quite common in people with back pain. These disturbances in your sleep may actually worsen the inflammation and pain in your back. A night of enough restorative sleep has effective healing benefits and helps you to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

Here are some tips to fall asleep faster and better:

• Good mattress – Investing in a good mattress can help prevent back pain and get enough comfortable sleep. Some good mattresses such as orthopaedic latex or memory foam mattresses automatically adjust to the pressure points in your body and support spinal alignments.
  
  

• Extra pillows – Placing extra pillows help align your spine in the effective position while sleeping. Head pillows comfortably support the neck curve. If you’re lying on your side, placing a pillow between your knees will help keep your spine in a neutral position and relieve strain on your back.
  
  

• Vitamins C and B6 – Taking supplements of vitamins C and B6 help your body to produce and regulate your metabolism. These vitamins are your natural steroids that improve your sleep cycle.
  
  

• Natural sleeping aids – L-theanine is an amino acid usually found in tea leaves is actually effective in making people feel relaxed and get better sleep. Moreover, supplements made from the roots of valerian plants also help in improving your sleep. Apart from this, cherries contain special enzymes that help in promoting better sleep.

5. Consume anti-inflammatory foods

According to a study published in 2020, people experiencing chronic back pain have a diet low in dairy products, whole grains and fruits. Instead, their diets were high in processed foods, trans fats and refined sugars. These foods are highly inflammatory and should be avoided even when you don’t have back pain.

Consuming anti-inflammatory foods builds up antioxidants in your blood that play a significant role in reducing inflammatory reactions in your body. Following this diet will surely help alleviate your back pain. If you’re overweight, consider changing your diet and doing regular exercises to lose your weight. It’ll help put off extra strain on your spine.

Here are some anti-inflammatory foods that you can include in your diet:

• Fruits

• Leafy green vegetables

• Whole grain foods

• Fibre-rich foods

• Yogurt

• Ginger green tea

• Turmeric milk

• Cherries or cherry juice

Overall, we recommend you to eat a well-balanced and healthy diet that is low in saturated fats, salt and sugar. You can start with eating a good amount of fruits and vegetables with plenty of water intake. Start taking care of your diet and you’ll notice the changes!

Follow These 5 Easy Tips and Get Relief from Back Pain

Back pain is a common problem that people face which limits them to perform their daily routine. But you should not limit yourself! Following these 5 ways can surely get you some relief from your back pain. So, give these pain-relieving strategies a try and see what works for your back pain.

However, these conditions are different for everybody. There is a certain possibility that some severe pain cannot be treated by self-care. In such cases, you should contact a specialized health care professional for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. At Sai Snehdeep Hospital, we have professionals who specialize in back pain and palliative care. We carefully diagnose your condition and give you a treatment plan accordingly. We take great pride in making our community healthy and achieving better health. If you’re suffering from back pain, contact us at:

Sai Snehdeep Hospital

Plot – 12, 13, Sector 20,

Kopar Khairane,

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra – 400709