Back pain is one of the most common health problems suffered across the world. Approximately one in 10 American’s will suffer from it at some point in their lifetimes, with 39% of those being unable to complete basic daily tasks, 38% unable to exercise and 37% having their sleep affected by the condition.
It isn’t just the physical health of the nation that back pain can take its toll on either, but the financial health as well. Around $50 billion is spent annually treating back pain with a further $100 billion going on indirect costs associated with the issue, such as lost wages and productivity.
If you’ve suffered from back pain, you’ll know just how incapacitating it can be – but how do you beat it? Here are seven ways.
Use cold and heat treatments
Both cold and hot treatments are suitable for back pain and bring different benefits to treating it. Start by placing an ice pack – or a bag of frozen vegetables if that is all you have in the freezer – on the affected area for 20-minute intervals over the first 48 hours after the problem arises. By cooling the area, you are restricting your nerves’ abilities to send pain signals which will reduce the suffering you feel while at the same time the cold helps to shut down the capillaries which will reduce blood flow and ease any swelling.
Once the first 48 hours are over, switch to 20-minute intervals of hot treatments by using a heating pad. Heat will loosen the tight muscles in the back and will now increase the circulation, helping to get oxygenated blood into the problem area.
Have a look at your mattress
For many of us, our back is under most of its strain when we are sleeping – we’ll often be lying on it after all. That makes our choice of mattress hugely important when it comes to looking after a bad back or even preventing the problem occurring in the first place. Several studies have suggested that those with lower back pain are better off sleeping on medium-firm mattresses than firm. Age also comes into it, and while there is no hard or fast rule about how long you should use a mattress for, the Better Sleep Council recommends replacing your mattress every 7-10 years. If you are still sleeping on the mattress you bought in the 1990s, then it is definitely time for a change.
Take care of your feet
Problems with our feet can affect our entire bodies, and that is particularly true when it comes to back pain. People who suffer from flat feet or pronation are going to be putting an additional strain on their backs, which is where some lower back problems come from. Flat feet can cause a misalignment of the ankle, causing joints to connect differently. This can lead to a misalignment with the knee, which can then spread upwards to your hips, affecting the way that you walk and with that, your spine and lower back. Custom made shoe inserts can help with this, slotting into your shoes and subtly adjusting the way you walk and with it, the pressures being placed on the rest of your body.
Become a positive thinker
What’s going on in your head could be making your back pain feel worse than it actually is. The brain circuits that process pain overlap with the brain circuits which deal with our emotions, meaning that panic, fear, anxiety and catastrophizing can all amplify pain. If you spend your time thinking things will never get better, chances are your body will start believing it too and the pain you are already feeling will be amplified. Take a step back, take a deep breath and try and stay positive. Shine a light on dark situations – accept you’ve got back pain but tell yourself that it is going to get better.
Have a massage
One positive thing about back pain is that it can be a great excuse to take yourself off for the relaxation experience that comes with a weekly massage. A 2013 study published in the Annals of Family Medicine suggested that of those who underwent six osteopathic treatments over the course of eight weeks, 63% of them experienced at least a moderate improvement in lower back pain.
Take pills and supplements
Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help to ease the pain that you are suffering with, but over a long period of time, they can cause gastrointestinal problems. If you are looking for something more natural, then there are all manner of supplements that have been linked to reducing back pain.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are two compounds found in both the fluids and cartilage around our joints and can be used for pain management, while vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in sufferers of lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition which has lower back pain as a symptom, suggesting that upping your vitamin D intake could be one way to reduce back pain.
As for naturally produced supplements, a daily dosage of devils claw extract could be used to help reduce back pain thanks to its positive effects on inflammation and swelling and the same goes for both CBD oil – a cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant – which you can buy from this website and the spice turmeric.
Give your back a rest
Easier said than done, we know, but sometimes the best cure for back pain is simply to rest it. By reducing the amount of stress, you are putting your back under, you are giving it time to recover. As many as 90% of back-related issues resolve themselves within six weeks and although that seems like a long time, taking it easy for just over a month is a worthwhile sacrifice if it prevents years of pain in the future, costly medical bills and possibly even surgery down the line should you carry on regardless and make the problem worse. Put your trust in Father Time, and he can be the greatest healer there is.
It`s all about laziness. Modern person doesn’t want to spend some time doing exercises or, at least, having a short walk. When we stop doing such things for some period of time, then we’re becoming unable to live normally.