Simple Helpful Tips To Deal With Back Pain
A pain in the back is one of the most common discomforts which is experienced by a large number of people worldwide. You can find it affecting individuals of all age groups, from young adults to aged people. To obtain relief from back pain, one needs to seek medical intervention. There are various causes for a backache, ranging from some poor postures and movements, structural causes (ruptured intervertebral disc, bulged disc, sciatica, arthritis, etc.) to infections of the spine. Even though it’s true that we require some medications for a backache occurring due to the structural and infectious causes, there are many other ways to manage a backache resulting due to a poor posture and movements.
Let’s have a look at some useful tips which you can follow to relieve your back pain and control it.
- Go For Cold Application
Cold application is one of the most effective methods for relieving pain, particularly after an injury (within a few hours) or after any activity causing pain and stiffness.
You can use a frozen water bottle, or simply apply an ice pack for the cold application. This can help you obtain instant relief.
- Opt For Hot Application
A hot application is beneficial for obtaining relief from back pain. It can help in treating a backache in the following ways.
- The hot application increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to our back.
- It helps inhibit the transmission of pain signals.
- It reduces stiffness by relaxing the soft tissues and muscles.
You need to go for a hot application after 24 to 72 hours of an injury.
- Exercise Regularly
- Back Strengthening Exercises: Practicing back strengthening exercises helps the muscles to support the spine and manage the stress. It helps minimize the stress on the back and neck and relieves the pain. The core muscles that need to be strengthened are abdominal, gluteus, hip muscles, and muscles surrounding the spine.
- Hamstring Exercises: Tight hamstring muscles can limit the movement in the pelvic region, in turn increasing the stress on the lower back. Hamstring exercises help reduce the stress on the lower back and prevent a pain in the back
To start with, you can do one or two back strengthening and hamstring exercises daily, and slowly increase the duration of exercise as well as the frequency of the exercise.
- Go For A Walk Daily:
Walking regularly is another useful tip to relieve the back. Walking regularly improves the stability of the spine, increases the range of motion, and enhances the supply of healthy nutrients and oxygen. Also, some people with lower back pain find some exercises painful and don’t continue them. However, walking daily can be a good alternative for this without causing any aggravation.
Some tips to be followed while walking for alleviating the back pain are mentioned below.
- Walk briskly, but maintain breath to maintain your energy and relieve the stress.
- Start out with a 5-minute-walk and work up to walking at least 30 minutes for 3 to 4 times a week.
Helpful Diet Tips For A Back Pain:
- Foods You Should Have: Mostly, a plant-based diet including flax, chia seeds, deeply-colored fruits & vegetables are a key to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. You can choose carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, cherries, berries, ginger, garlic, onions, turmeric, etc. to prevent or mitigate the inflammation which leads to a painful condition.
- Foods To Avoid: Processed foods, fast foods, foods comprising saturated fats should be avoided. Also, refrain from eating bread, pasta, rice, sugary drinks, and fried foods. Also, avoid consuming caffeine and alcohol.
- Calcium Factor: Maintaining normal calcium and Vitamin D levels is also an important factor for preventing back pain due to nutritional deficiencies. So, work on that and eat a healthy diet providing sufficient calcium and vitamins.
Also Read: – Could Your Back Pain be Ankylosing Spondylitis
Following the above tips will help you to deal with back pain and increase the pain threshold of your bones, joints, and muscles. Employing lifestyle and dietary changes along with enough physical activity is a better and effective way to deal with back pain rather than choosing painkillers.
Written by Dr. Pooja G, Associate doctor to Dr. Rajesh Shah
