Simple Remedies For Relieving Back Pain
There can be many different causes of back pain.
Some are caused from a simple strain/sprain injury.
Others are caused from more serious problems in the spine itself.
It is important to seek treatment that will get to the cause of the problem, rather than just treating the symptoms.
Just masking the symptoms can lead to worse problems down the road.
It is also important to try natural methods first to deal with the problem.
Surgery can be dangerous, and drugs can have harmful side effects or lead to an addiction.
These methods may be necessary, but why not try natural methods first which don't have as much risk associated with them.
Here are five simple methods that can help you to get rid of your pain.
If your symptoms persist or increase when performing these methods, you should immediately seek the advice of a health care professional.
1.
Ice/Heat: When used properly, ice and heat can be very effective in helping you to relieve your symptoms.
Ice is very effective in reducing inflammation and speeding up the healing process after an injury.
It is generally accepted that ice should be used for the first 72 hours after an injury while it is acute.
Ice should not be used for longer than 20 minutes.
A good rule of thumb is to ice 20 minutes on and one hour off repeating continuously during the acute phase.
After the 72 hour mark, heat can be used as needed.
Heat is good to help relax tight muscles and increase blood flow to the area.
Alternating heat and ice for 20 minutes can also be effective for healing.
2.
Stretching: Stretching is important to help improve motion in the spine.
After an injury, it is common for the joints of the spine to become fixated.
Performing passive stretches helps to stretch the spinal ligaments and muscles.
It also helps to restore motion to the joints in the spine.
This movement is important as it allows for nutrients to enter the spinal joints and helps to pump toxins out.
This is very effective in speeding up the healing process.
This also helps to prevent the cartilage or discs in the spine from becoming hard and brittle which leads to degenerative disc disease or arthritis of the spine.
3.
Posture: It is important to maintain good posture to prevent problems in the spine.
You should keep your shoulders back and not allow yourself to slouch for long periods of time.
You should also work on keeping your head upright over your shoulders rather than allowing your head to slip forward.
When sitting for prolonged periods of time it is important to have good support in the small of your back.
Posture is extremely important to maintain the natural curves in your spine and prevent the spine from becoming misaligned.
4.
Strengthen: By strengthening the muscles around your spine or core, you help to prevent back problems.
When your core muscles are weak, it can cause your spine to buckle or become misaligned easier.
You don't need to lift weights to strengthen your core.
You can do crunches or leg lifts to strengthen your core which includes your abdominal muscles.
Just doing these exercises a few minutes each day can be a huge benefit.
5.
Rest: Remember to get plenty of rest, especially after an injury.
All too often, people continue with their daily routine without giving their back a chance to heal by giving it proper rest.
These simple methods can be very effective in helping to deal with back problems.
Some complicating factors include smoking and being overweight.
These can make it more difficult for your back to heal.
If you find that your back pain is persisting and the methods laid out in this article are not helping, you may have a deeper underlying problem.
You should immediately seek the advice of a health care professional such as a chiropractor.
If your symptoms are persisting, there could be a deeper problem such as a misalignment of joints in the spine or a pinched nerve.
A chiropractor is trained to locate these problems and correct them.
By getting the problem corrected early on, it can help prevent chronic disease such as degenerative disc disease.
Combining the methods explained in this article are the most effective in dealing with back pain rather than just focusing on one method.
Some are caused from a simple strain/sprain injury.
Others are caused from more serious problems in the spine itself.
It is important to seek treatment that will get to the cause of the problem, rather than just treating the symptoms.
Just masking the symptoms can lead to worse problems down the road.
It is also important to try natural methods first to deal with the problem.
Surgery can be dangerous, and drugs can have harmful side effects or lead to an addiction.
These methods may be necessary, but why not try natural methods first which don't have as much risk associated with them.
Here are five simple methods that can help you to get rid of your pain.
If your symptoms persist or increase when performing these methods, you should immediately seek the advice of a health care professional.
1.
Ice/Heat: When used properly, ice and heat can be very effective in helping you to relieve your symptoms.
Ice is very effective in reducing inflammation and speeding up the healing process after an injury.
It is generally accepted that ice should be used for the first 72 hours after an injury while it is acute.
Ice should not be used for longer than 20 minutes.
A good rule of thumb is to ice 20 minutes on and one hour off repeating continuously during the acute phase.
After the 72 hour mark, heat can be used as needed.
Heat is good to help relax tight muscles and increase blood flow to the area.
Alternating heat and ice for 20 minutes can also be effective for healing.
2.
Stretching: Stretching is important to help improve motion in the spine.
After an injury, it is common for the joints of the spine to become fixated.
Performing passive stretches helps to stretch the spinal ligaments and muscles.
It also helps to restore motion to the joints in the spine.
This movement is important as it allows for nutrients to enter the spinal joints and helps to pump toxins out.
This is very effective in speeding up the healing process.
This also helps to prevent the cartilage or discs in the spine from becoming hard and brittle which leads to degenerative disc disease or arthritis of the spine.
3.
Posture: It is important to maintain good posture to prevent problems in the spine.
You should keep your shoulders back and not allow yourself to slouch for long periods of time.
You should also work on keeping your head upright over your shoulders rather than allowing your head to slip forward.
When sitting for prolonged periods of time it is important to have good support in the small of your back.
Posture is extremely important to maintain the natural curves in your spine and prevent the spine from becoming misaligned.
4.
Strengthen: By strengthening the muscles around your spine or core, you help to prevent back problems.
When your core muscles are weak, it can cause your spine to buckle or become misaligned easier.
You don't need to lift weights to strengthen your core.
You can do crunches or leg lifts to strengthen your core which includes your abdominal muscles.
Just doing these exercises a few minutes each day can be a huge benefit.
5.
Rest: Remember to get plenty of rest, especially after an injury.
All too often, people continue with their daily routine without giving their back a chance to heal by giving it proper rest.
These simple methods can be very effective in helping to deal with back problems.
Some complicating factors include smoking and being overweight.
These can make it more difficult for your back to heal.
If you find that your back pain is persisting and the methods laid out in this article are not helping, you may have a deeper underlying problem.
You should immediately seek the advice of a health care professional such as a chiropractor.
If your symptoms are persisting, there could be a deeper problem such as a misalignment of joints in the spine or a pinched nerve.
A chiropractor is trained to locate these problems and correct them.
By getting the problem corrected early on, it can help prevent chronic disease such as degenerative disc disease.
Combining the methods explained in this article are the most effective in dealing with back pain rather than just focusing on one method.
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