How to relieve lower back pain is the use of interventions and therapies which involve blocking the conduction of nerves between specific areas of the brain and the body to alleviate pain, medications for short- term relief, exercises for strengthening and pain relief, surgery for relief of chronic pain and other disabilities.
Low back pain is very common among adults and it is often caused by overused of muscles causing strain or injury. Long hours of sitting and standing can also aggravate the condition. Since the lower part of your back makes the most of your movement in everything you do, it can also be the most affected when stressed and injured. As such, when people have such condition, they feel as if they want that pain to disappear in a second.
In the advance of technology these days, there are treatments to help relieve pain in the lower back that varies depending on the severity of the case. There some key points that we have to remember when dealing with the treatment options:
Different treatments can help you stay as active as possible as it will help you understand that some continued or repeated back pain is not surprising or dangerous at all. Most low back pain can get better if you stay active, you avoid positions and activities that may be exhausting to your lower back, use ice for pain and inflammation, and take nonprescription pain relievers when you need them. Doctor's advice is necessary.
When pain is no longer severe, you may be ready for gentle strengthening exercises for your back, necks, legs and to some different areas of the body.. Exercise may not only help decrease low back pain, but it may also help you recover faster, prevent recurrence injury to your back, and reduce the risk of permanent disability.
Exercises to reduce low back pain may not be complicated and can be done at the comforts of your home without any special equipment.
Don't be afraid of the pain and let it stop you from trying gentle activity. You should try to be active soon to prevent pain recurrence and other disabilities. Remember, too little activity can lead to loss of flexibility, strength, and endurance, thus causing more pain.
How To Relieve Lower Back Pain
1. Introduce lower back pain stretching exercises
Some relief from the early stages of lower back pain can be accomplished by performing simple stretches which are often advised by your therapist. Lower back strengthening exercises, along with cardio training exercises are keys to get rid of lower back pain. These will enable your body to become stronger and increase movement and flexibility.
The gentle motions of aerobic exercises such as swimming or riding a stationary bicycle will encourage blood flow through the muscles, increase your flexibility, and enable your body to release natural pain killers of the body into the blood stream thus relieving pain. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of these exercises each day and you'll notice a significant difference in not only your lower back, but you'll feel better overall.
Aerobic exercise - this is done to condition your heart and other muscles, maintain health, and increase oxygenation to the different parts of the body
Tread milling, swimming, riding on a stationary bike, brisk walking, jogging, aerobics.
Strengthening exercises - this focuses on your back, stomach, and leg muscles.
Prone hold, chest life, opposite arm leg raises, roll outs, super man.
Stretching exercises - this is done to keep your muscles and other supporting tissues flexible and less prone to injury.
If you have low back pain, avoid:
X Straight leg sit-ups.
X Lifting both legs while lying on your back (leg lifts).
X Lifting heavy weights above the waist.
2. Hot and cold treatment
The early stage of lower back pain can be treated with Alternate hot and cold compress. You have to try out whether ice will work better for you than heat. Experiment to determine which one do you prefer and which one is more effective for you. Try to use ice pack for pain and inflammation for at least 10-15 minutes. Once the pain has subsided, apply some hot pack and do it for another 10-15 minutes.
3. Medications
The most common medications for back pain is the over the counter pain killers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These are highly recommended to alleviate back pain. They both work differently so they usually are taken at the same time. Prescribed drugs such as muscle relaxant, anti- depressants are used for prolong relief of pain.
Pain killer such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the single most effective non prescription drugs for lower back pain and it has fewer side effects. It relieves pain by working its action into the brain to turn off the pain perception.
NSAIDs such as Aspirin decreases swelling on the affected area. However, aspirin is not usually taken because of its life threatening effects.
Prescribed Steroids which are effective in treating swelling; however, these drugs have a lot of adverse effects so the dose should be exact and be given regularly and on time.
For the dose, frequency and duration of the drug, consult your health care provider for safety.
4. Transcutaneous electrical nerve simulation is a method employed to bring lower back pain relief. A battery-powered device is used to send mild electric pulses going to the nerve fibers in order to block pain signals to the brain thus alleviating the pain.
5. Ultrasound is a non-invasive method that works by warming the internal tissues of the body that results in the relaxation of muscles at the back.
6. Surgical therapy is one of the many methods on how to relieve lower back pain but it is the least thing to do when the patient does not respond to therapies. It is depending on the doctor's advice if surgery is really needed and consent from the patient must also be considered.
