Of all the physical ailments a human being can incur, few are as debilitating as back pain. Chronic back pain can have severe physical and psychological repercussions and can drastically reduce one’s quality of life.
Do you suffer from chronic back pain? Looking for relief at any cost? Then you’re in the right place.
Below, we’re going to cover some of the best methods for healing back pain, discussing both medical and holistic options. Let’s get into the specifics.
Stretch
The most basic treatment for back pain is to stretch. The more you stretch the muscles and joints in your back, the more capable your muscles and joints will be off supporting your spine.
You should stretch every morning when you wake up as well as every time you exercise. Feeling a particular tightness in your back at some point during the day? An unplanned stretching session might help to eradicate it.
Exercise
While back pain can make exercise difficult, you can’t give up on it. The less you exercise, the harder the time your muscles will have of supporting your spine. The less support your spine has, the more pain your back will incur.
Ideally, you’ll participate in both cardio and resistance training. Cardio will not only increase your endurance, but it will also help you to burn off calories. This, in turn, will help to maintain your weight, reducing the amount of stress on your back.
Resistance training, on the other hand, will strengthen the muscles in the core, propping the body up, and ensuring that the back is subject to as little strain as possible.
Get Out of Bed
A common practice of those with back pain is to lay down in bed for a large portion of the day. Believe it or not, this is counterproductive, and can actually lead to increased pain.
By getting out of bed and moving around a bit, you not only stretch out the muscles and joints in the back but you also strengthen them. The stronger they are, the greater support they’ll provide. The greater the support they provide, the less strain (thus pain!), your back will be subjected to.
Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t rest at all. In fact, rest is key. However, you shouldn’t let rest detract from your daily schedule.
Practice Proper Posture
The more you slump and slouch your shoulders, the more stress you put on your lower back. As such, improper posture often leads to back pain. This is why you need to practice proper posture at all times.
Proper posture won’t come overnight. However, if you work at it, it will become your new norm. So, keep those shoulders back, keep that lower back straight, and stop looking at the ground when you walk.
If you’ve been practicing poor posture your entire life, this alone can make a world of difference. Note, however, that it’s going to take a little time.
Utilize Heat and Ice
At the source of all back pain is inflammation. Friction in the joints causes them to become inflamed, leading to pain, swelling, and other such symptoms.
Therefore, to combat back pain, you need to combat anti-inflammation. One of the best ways to do this is with the use of heat and ice.
By applying heat or ice packs to your back periodically throughout each day, you help to relieve inflammation, therefore helping to relieve pain. In most cases, a 20-minute application will do the trick. Just rotate heat and ice throughout the day.
Stay Away from Braces
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that back braces are beneficial for those with back pain. However, in the vast majority of cases, the exact opposite is true.
See, because back braces provide artificial support to the back, they take the stress off of the surrounding muscles. As such, over time, the muscles don’t develop to their full capabilities. Therefore, when the brace is off, the pain is more likely to presume.
Therefore, while you should wear back braces for certain weightlifting exercises (ie. deadlifts and squats), you should avoid them throughout the rest of your day.
Utilize Acupuncture
Another option you might consider is acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture is a form of treatment wherein thin needles are pinned into the body. By triggering specific pressure points, these needles relax the muscles and release vital body chemicals.
Acupuncture can help to treat various ailments, with back pain being one of them. While it’s not known to eliminate pain, it can reduce symptoms over time. Note, however, that in order for acupuncture to produce results, it must be utilized on a regular basis; Weekly sessions are generally needed.
Should you decide that acupuncture is right for you, you’re advised to see a licensed acupuncturist. Utilizing the services of an unlicensed acupuncturist is unsafe.
Sleep Right
It’s not just your standing posture that you need to worry about. If you want to avoid back pain, you need to practice good sleep posture as well.
There are two primary components to good sleep posture. The first component is getting the mechanics right. The second component is finding the right sleeping surface.
First off, you should avoid sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach puts your neck in an uncompromising position and can lead to back pain.
If you sleep on your back, you should prop a pillow under your knees. This will lend support to your lower back, removing stress during sleep.
Side sleeper? Put a pillow between your knees. Doing so will maintain the straightness of your spine, keeping stress to a minimum.
As far as your sleeping surface goes, it should be relatively firm, but with a comfortable give. If your mattress is too spongy, your body will sink into it awkwardly, leading to back pain.
Do Yoga
While the majority of pain relief comes from treating the physical, treating the psyche has benefits as well. As such, if you suffer from back pain, you should utilize meditation exercises like yoga.
Yoga promotes both physical and psychological soothing, necessitating that you meditate while performing a variety of poses. Not only will it relieve stress in your mind, but it will also help to loosen up the muscles and joints in your back.
There are all types of yoga videos online to help you get started. If you wish, you could even join a class in-person.
See a Psychologist
Back pain can have a severe effect on one’s psyche, pushing him or her into a rut that prevents treatment from occurring. If needed, a psychologist can help to get one out of this rut.
Not only will a psychologist listen to your concerns, but offer solutions to help you work through them as well. In doing so, he or she will help you to maintain a positive mindset. The more positive your mindset, the greater chance you have of sticking to your treatment and successfully relieving your back pain.
Undergo Back Surgery
Not all cases of back pain can be treated with stretching, exercise, and good posture. If your problem is particularly damaging, you might need to undergo surgery.
There are all kinds of back surgeries, each of which solves a different problem. The type that you receive is dependent upon your specific injuries.
If you have a herniated disc, you might undergo a discectomy. If you’re suffering from pinched nerves, you might undergo a laminectomy. Other surgeries you might receive include spinal fusion, vertebroplasty, and kyphoplasty.
To receive surgery, you’ll have to pay a visit to a spinal specialist. Your specialist will find the source of your problem and help you establish a treatment plan to combat it.
Take Advantage of Starecta
One last option for relieving back pain is to utilize Starecta. Starecta is a device that’s placed on the body in order to provide it with balance. It helps with a variety of ailments, including but not limited to shoulder pain, scoliosis, fatigue, sleep apnea, and, of course, back pain.
Making use of Newtonian mechanics, Starecta alters the musculoskeletal system over time. Non-invasive, it allows you to live your life as you normally would. If simple remedies such as stretching and exercise aren’t cutting it, Starecta is worth a try.
Healing Back Pain is Imperative
When you suffer from back pain, you have trouble seeing all of the good that surrounds you. Not only do you become physically impaired but psychologically tortured as well.
For this reason, it’s imperative that you heal as quickly as possible. The longer you leave your back pain untreated, the further you’ll slip into the abyss.
The above-reviewed tips are key to healing back pain. By utilizing them on a regular basis, you will start to see a difference.
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