Simple Back Pain Strategies

Have you ever had back pain so bad you felt you couldn’t move?  You just wanted to lie in bed all day?  I know from experience what that feels like and believe me the last thing I wanted to do was move.  But here is the thing…bedrest is not best for a back injury.  The old saying ‘motion is lotion’ holds true even when you are having pain.  You just have to modify your activity and take some steps to manage the pain.

          (Click Read More for some simple tips to manage back pain.)

​Here are some simple tips and strategies for when you are experiencing back pain.

1. Heat or Ice                                                                                                                                                                       Heat and ice can both be used to manage symptoms.  Heat is helpful to relax muscles that may be in spasm.  Ice is great for reducing pain – just numb the area and remove.  Reapply as needed.
2. Anti-inflammatories                                                                                                                                            Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories may be helpful during an acute episode to reduce inflammation.
3.  Go for a walk                                                                                                                                                                   Go for an easy walk to get your body moving, blood flowing, and muscles working in an easy manner.  Only go as far as comfortable.  The distance may be short at first, but attempt several times throughout the day.
4.  Abdominal breathing                                                                                                                                        During an acute flare up it really may be hard to get up and move.  You can simply lie on your back.  Prop up your legs if that feels more comfortable.  Begin taking nice deep breaths all the way into your belly continuing to inhale into the chest.  Inhale in the nose and exhale out the mouth.  At full exhale let your lower abdomen tighten as long as it does not cause you pain.
5.  Stretching                                                                                                                                                                              Slow and gentle stretching helps to reduce inflammation.  Be sure to not increase your pain/discomfort.  It is easy to stretch too much when you are having pain.
6.  See a Specialist An expert, like a physical therapist, can provide hands-on treatment to help reduce pain and increase the healing process, specific exercises to make sure you recover fast and informative education to help you understand how to prevent further injury.  

At Body Evolution Physical Therapy & Wellness we have helped people just like YOU recover from back pain.  In fact, back pain is one of the most common issues we treat.  Whether it be a new injury or pain you have had for years we have experience in getting people out of pain.  Don't wait for things to get worse.  Give us a call to see how we can help you - RIGHT NOW!

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