5 Easy Tips to Recover From Back Pains!
Experiencing a debilitating back pain?
If you are like lots of us, chances are your 9-5 desk job is taking a toll on your back. The long uncomfortable commute to work, an unhealthy "no/less-workout" routine doesn't help either.
It has been noticed that back pain is one of the leading causes of visits to the doctor. Going by the stats, over 31 million Americans experience back pains at least once in a lifetime. It can be really painful, uncomfortable and annoying.
The causes vary from a muscle or nerve related issue to a serious back injury like a muscle sprain or strain caused while lifting something heavy, or due to poor body mechanics.
Nevertheless, proper treatment can help you quickly recover from back pain. But before you dive into the tips to treat the pain, you should know what causes the stressful backaches so that you can take appropriate measures to prevent the problem in the first place.
Common Causes Of Back Pain
Lifestyle Causes
On an average, a person spends over 7-8 hours hunched or slouched in front of his mobile or computer screen.
The latest tech obsessions, excessive usage of smartphones and being continuously glued to gaming consoles are some of the most common reasons behind the pains and aches in necks, shoulders and back.
Apart from that, being overweight, wearing heels on a regular basis, smoking, not exercising regularly may also lead to back related problems.
Structural problems
- Ruptured disc: The discs provide a cushion to the vertebra in the spine. However, if these discs get ruptured, the nerves have to endure all the pressure ultimately causing back pains.
- Bulging disc: Bulging disc occurs when a disc that provides support to the vertebrates loses its shape and compresses the spinal nerve.
- Sciatica: Severe shooting pain that passes through the buttock and goes down to the Sciatic nerve in the back of the leg also causes back pain.
- Arthritis: Arthritis causes pain to the lower back joints and other places of the body.
Miscellaneous Causes
- Cancer of the spine: When the tumor of the spine presses against the nerve, it results in chronic back pains.
- Sleep disorders: People suffering from sleep issues are more likely to experience back pain as compared to those who take quality sleep every night.
- Infections: If you are suffering from spine infections or perhaps have any other infection like bladder or Pelvic inflammatory disease, you are likely to experience backaches.
- Kidney problems: Kidney infection or stones in the kidney can cause back pain.
Pro Tips To Recover From Back Pains
Exercise often
A workout is considered to be the best medicine for back pains. Start by doing low-impact exercises like a simple walk at a brisk pace, yoga or swimming laps. You can even try tai chi a few times in a week to improve strength and flexibility in your back. Make sure to move in moderation and don’t try activities that require excessive movement of the back.
Don’t Stress Your Back
The most common backache occurs when people start lifting heavy weights which leads to tightness and tension in the back. However, improved flexibility and muscle strength can improve the situation.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Extra pounds can stress your back and can cause severe back pain. The back pain can worsen if you have excess fat in your belly or breast area. So, stay healthy and avoid fats. Start by eating fruits and vegetables, and focus on consuming low processed foods to keep your back healthy and your weight under control.
Work On Posture
Although you might have started experiencing back pain after a long workout, the strain which is the cause of this pain has been building up for years. How?
Poor posture!
People mostly have bad postures when doing their daily chores, putting unnecessary strain on the back, thereby causing severe pain. Using posture-friendly props like a soft pillow for the chair and a footrest for elevating legs can prevent you from tilting your head forward.
Pain-Relief Patches
Pain relief patches are the alternative to over the counter painkillers, providing direct relief to the affected joints or muscles. Whether the pain is due to vigorous exercise or from the joint and muscles, these external pain relieving skin plaster patches are ideal for controlling. The patches also work great with strains, impingements, bruises, arthritis pain, etc.
Other supplements such as curcumin works really well when used along pain patches.
Practice Good Sleep
While the amount of sleep you daily get is very important, the position you sleep in is equally important. So, try to sleep on your side in a relaxed position with your knees bent. Use pillow underneath the neck to keep your back in line. Also:
- Use a pillow under the knees if you are a back sleeper
- Avoid stomach sleeping as it causes the neck and head to twist and can put a strain on the back
- If you are a side sleeper, put pillows between the knees to keep the spine in a neutral position
At-Home Stretches To Improve Back Pain
Knee To Chest Stretching:
Knee to chest stretch is one of the easiest and relaxing ways to get rid of chronic back muscle pain. It aids in increasing the flexibility and helps in reducing the spinal stiffness.
Cat/Cow Stretch:
It’s a sequence of two poses that aims to stretch the spine muscles. This stretch provides a soft message to the spine as well as to the belly organs.
Piriformis Seated Stretch:
This stretch is used to strengthen the piriformis muscles as well as the gluteal and outer hip muscle.
Knee Twist Stretch:
Use lying knee twist stretch to align pelvis and lower back. It will stretch the back muscles and helps in realigning the spine and spinal disc.
Cobra Stretch:
It’s a backbend muscle stretch that stretches the muscles of the arms, shoulders and torso. You can try this stretch to strengthen your upper back, spine and legs.
As the years' pass, your bones and disks degenerate thereby causing stiffness and muscle aches; and the result is a reoccurring back pain. However, a few changes in the lifestyle, the right exercise and perfect medications can make a world of difference for your back troubles.