Back Pain can be completely debilitating. It can be the difference between a good day and a bad day. Here are 5 ways to improve back pain naturally from home!
1. Keep Moving
Your back is made up of your spine, muscles and ligaments, all of which get nutrients from blood, if you’re doing nothing, and the muscles aren’t being used, you won’t receive as much blood flow to your back and you’re likely to be making your pain worse. Gentle movement is very important for back pain, a light walk or some stretching will get the blood pumping to the muscles around your spine and help decrease your pain.
2. Mobility Exercises
Often back pain is at its worst in the morning when getting out of bed, or at the end of the day when coming home from work. What may help your back are simple mobility exercises to increase blood flow to the area. Try doing some Lumbar Rolls (pictured below) when you’re lying in bed. Adding some gentle rotation is an easy way to warm up the tissues surrounding your spine.
3. Strength Training
Often back pain is caused by the overuse of postural muscles around the spine due to the underuse and weakness of the larger muscle groups surrounding: core muscles and hip muscles. Strength training may not only help your back pain, it may also improve you bone health and cardiovascular health too! If you’re unsure where to start, Exercise Rehabilitation with a health professional can help you develop a personalised plan and get you motivated!
4. Heat Therapy
Heat therapy promotes blood flow which increases the nutrients to a painful area, which may help your body heal. Microwavable wheat bags or hot water bottles can be placed on an aching back which may ease the pain. You may also like to try a warm bath to help soothe your aches and pains.
5. Change Your Posture
The spine is a curved structure, sitting in slouched posture for long periods of time can cause stress to the spine and aggravate your back pain. When sitting, try to set up your workstation in an ergonomic way, sit to stand desks are also good for variation. Try to take breaks from sitting by limiting your time to 30 minutes with a one minute stand up break (this includes time spent sitting on the sofa or couch)
Back pain is not something you should have to live with. The key is a proper diagnosis, understanding the cause of your pain and coming up with strategies to manage your pain going forward. If you are struggling with your back pain, seek the help of a specialist, our team at Alpha Sports Medicine & Osteopathy in Altona North see many cases of back pain every day and we would be happy to discuss with you your treatment options and ongoing exercise rehabilitation to keep you doing the things you love.
