subject: 8 Practical Steps To Relieve Back Pain [print this page] First and foremost, make sure your back pain is not from a major injury like a fall or a car crash. Check with your physician to rule out spinal trauma or ruptured disc. These injuries will almost always require rehabilitation!
Maintain good posture
How many times have you heard someone most often your mum - say to you: Stand up straight!? It really helps to always have your back straight. If you have to sit for long periods of time (in the office for example), make sure you have a chair with a high straight back and sit right against it. It will help to support your posture and your back. If you know that you have bad posture, start practicing to sit up straight today. It will be difficult at first because you essentially will be re-training your muscles but its an important step to reduce your chances of future back pain.
Loose those extra kilos/pounds
Extra weight will always lead to future back problems. There is no way around that. You need to work at maintaining a healthy weight for your body structure and dont give up!
Stretch
We are remaining in the same position for far too long. Whether you are standing, sitting or being bent over make sure you change your position and stretch your back and limbs regularly. Incorporating a daily stretching practice for just a couple of minutes will have numerous benefits!
Try Inversion therapy
Inversion therapy has been around for a couple of thousand years. It involves hanging upside down or at an inverted angle with the intention of therapeutic benefits. It works by placing your body in line with the downward force of gravity. In the process, inversion elongates the spine, increases the space between the vertebrae, and relieves the pressure on discs, ligaments, and nerve roots. And less pressure means less back pain, as well as fewer headaches and neck problems.
Exercise
Exercise is key in reducing back pain. Join a gym or start exercising in your home. Begin your recovery program (ideally) with 30 minutes of daily walking. Swimming is also very powerful to strengthen your back muscles.
Hot/Cold Therapy
Hot and cold therapy can help to reduce back pain. Heat relaxes muscles and soothes away the pains. Cold numbs the pain and relieves the muscles. Sometimes its as simple as taking a nice long hot shower or soaking in a warm/hot bath for an hour.
Rest and relax
Practice relaxation and meditation every day. Numerous medical studies have shown that much back pain is caused by tightness due to mental stress. Practicing meditation allows you to relax the mind and the body and release tension that can tighten the back.
Get a massage
Massage is a popular therapy that helps millions of people, but be sure you tell the massage technician about you touchy area of back pain, and what causes it to flare up.
