One of the most common aches and pains that most adults experience is back pain. Many of us stress at some point in our lives and we face that stress physically as much as we do mentally. Back pain can affect us because of a simple muscle strain or it can be because of ligament issues and even a slipped disc.
The good news is that back pain isn’t often a serious issue. It can be just a nagging ache to annoy you through the day and something as simple as a lidocaine patch can help you to get through the day. The best thing that you can do with back pain is to continue with your daily activities as much as possible and if you have a long term condition that’s causing back pain, you’re going to have a chat with your doctor and they’ll help you to figure out what to do! Below, we’ve got our top ways that you can help your back pain.
1. Keep Going
When you have pain, the natural reaction is to stay as still as possible and avoid it. The problem with that is that by being still, you will end up seizing up and in pain. As much as possible, carry on with your everyday routines and activities and keep your body moving. Getting back to work will help, too, but get your boss to give you an assessment to tell you whether your chair and desk are ergonomically correct.
2. Keep Your Body Moving
Back pain can make you feel like you can’t move, but move you must if you hope to reduce it. Pilates and yoga will help you to stay active, and you can start off gently, finding an exercise that you can enjoy properly. There are yoga balls to sit on and move with, and there are exercises that you can do specifically to stretch your body out.
3. Don’t Just Handle It
If you’re in pain, you need to think about talking to someone. Suffering in silence is how you’re going to end up in more pain than ever before, and you need to speak to someone to know the source of the pain and how you can help yourself. Your doctor can offer scans and tell you what’s happening and how it can be fixed.
4. Treat Yourself
If you don’t need to have surgeries and medicines prescribed to you, you can learn to treat yourself properly. We already mentioned the lidocaine patch but you can also use hot and cold packs, hot water bottles, cold peas on your back where it hurts – all of these things are going to help the pain to ease and get you back to feeling your best.
5. Manage Your Weight
So much of our daily pain is weight related and most of us don’t even know it. Staying at a healthy weight is good for all your body but it can help you to let go of the pain in your back, too. A healthy, balanced diet and some exercise will help you to feel better and your back pain may well ease!
