How to Soothe Your Nagging Back Pain

Back pain can result from a number of issues, from injury to illness. Fortunately, back pain therapies offer a number of ways to alleviate pain and stiffness.

The following tips have provided comfort to many patients who needed low back pain relief. Try one or more of them, in addition to your spine doctor’s medical instructions, to help you feel better fast.

1. Get plenty of restorative sleep to help your body heal if you have experienced an injury, illness, or back surgery. Since pain is the number one cause of insomnia among medical conditions, this might be easier said than done. However, not getting enough sleep can actually make back pain worse. To break the cycle of pain and insomnia, you’ll need to treat both issues.

2. Use hot and cold therapy to ease back pain. Regularly applying cold and/or hot packs can help reduce lower back pain and encourage the healing process. For example, cold therapy reduces inflammation and acts as a local anesthetic by slowing nerve impulses. Heat application stimulates blood flow to bring nutrients to the affected area, helping it to heal. Heat also inhibits pain messages being sent to the brain.

3. Make sure to give yourself a solid foundation by wearing proper footwear. Good posture starts at your feet, so make sure they have a solid foundation. Avoid regularly wearing high-heeled shoes because they affect your body’s center of gravity and induce compensatory alignment of your entire body. If your job or lifestyle requires long periods of standing, consider wearing supportive shoe orthotics or purchasing a rubber mat on the floor below you.

4. Exercise for better posture and stronger muscles to support your spine. Keeping fit through regular exercise will help correct posture problems overall, but you can also try specific exercises, too. In general, opt to include a balance of core muscle and back muscle strength moves in your regular routine. Ask Dr. Sharma for specific exercises for your particular situation, and commit to toning your way to a healthier posture.

Be sure to ask Dr. Sharma before beginning any of the tips for low back pain management mentioned above. Together, you can be sure you are doing everything you can to ease your back pain and speed the healing process.