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Having lower back pain is never easy because it can significantly affect our daily lives—socializing with other people, work, studies, daily activities, and even our moods. Because of the many things we do every single day, from the morning until the evening, the chances of potentially stressing our backs is very high which leads to everyone’s worst enemy: back pain. When lower back pain continues to keep going on that already intrudes the quality of one’s life, options for various back pain treatment may already be needed to achieve pain relief.
Overlooked Treatments for Back Pain
There are a lot of recommended treatments for back pain that will be found in just one click here on the internet but that is not the main focus of this article. Here, we are going to talk about back pain treatments that are usually overlooked and underused by people with back pain. You can try one, or combination of these and see which one works best for you!
Release inner endorphins. Levels of endorphins in the body may be boosted by doing certain activities like massage therapy, meditation, and aerobic exercises. Endorphins are hormones that are naturally made by the body which helps block pain signals from registering to your brain. They are peptides that are activated to a person’s body’s opiate receptors that cause an analgesic effect, giving you pain relief. These hormones also help mollify stress, anxiety, and depression which are all factors to causing and making back pain worse.
Get enough restorative sleep. Pain is said to be the leading cause of insomnia. These pain episodes, when it gets worse, makes it difficult for you to get restorative sleep. Getting enough sleep in the night is needed in order for your body tissues to heal and recharge from all day activities your body has done. If you are having insomnia – trouble falling asleep or staying asleep— because of the pain you are experiencing, it is important to address pain and all the other factors that cause this immediately. Seek help from your doctors since they might prescribe you medicine, treatments and recommend lifestyle modifications that will help you sleep well.
Exercise your core. Strengthening your core muscles is one of the very common pieces of advice to help relieve your back pain. The muscles in your abs play a very important role in supporting your lower spine and since these particular muscles don’t get the workout that they need to be stronger in a normal day, it is important to specifically target this through exercises. There are a lot of good core exercises that can be found on the internet depending on which type you want. Pick a workout that you can sustain and be consistent doing for a long period of time. Once you have already picked one, do this for at least 20-30 minutes a day as a part of your everyday routine.
Engage your brain. A lot of people say that most pain is “psychological” which means that it is only on the mind of a person. Pain specialists have long understood that the way people process pain signals plays a significant impact on how an individual perceives pain. They think that “pain is more complicated than sensations.” While this could be negative, the good news is that a person can develop skills and attitude which can help them ignore pain signals. These includes the following:
a. Cognitive behavioral therapy– this type of therapy helps a person to perceive and think about pain differently. This will also teach new strategies about how to manage it.
b. Mindful pain management– Meditation and mindfulness, which involves slow, controlled breathing can help you relax yourself which helps in pain sensation. Mindfulness and relaxation techniques can be learned online through free videos, books, and blogs about it.
Find activities that make you happy. Your back pain, especially if you have it for a long time now can affect your relationship with other people, your productivity, finances, and your ability to get stuff done from your work and your home. This can cause havoc to your life. When dealing with back pain, it is best when you distress and unwind since this may relieve some of your pain. Finding activities that make you happy is a good step to do. Some people say that doing at least 3 things that makes them happy everyday such as walking, cuddling with their pets or with someone they love, and hugging makes them feel better and can make pain more bearable. Stimulate your endorphins and feel good!
Stretch your hamstrings. Tight hamstrings are often overlooked as a cause of lower back pain. Tight hamstring muscles at the back of your thighs are tight, your sacroiliac joints and lower back will be stressed which causes more pain on your backs. In order to avoid and ease the pain, it is important to stretch your hamstrings twice a day for 15-30 seconds each time. Look for stretching exercises on the internet that work which would not hurt you.
Additional Tip: Cold and Warm Compresses
Warm and cold compresses are very powerful so we should never underestimate it. It will help soothe inflammation and improve blood flow for your painful back.
- Cold therapy– this will help reduce inflammation and pain on your back. To do this, just wrap around an ice bag on a piece of cloth then compress it on the affected area. Always remember to put a barrier (at least one layer of cloth) between your skin and the ice bag.
- Heat therapy– this helps improve blood circulation on your muscles for relaxation and pain relief. To do this, use an electric heating pad (if you have one) or just take a nice, warm shower, and/or soak yourself in a hot tub to bring warmth to your back.
Whether you are applying heat or cold to your body, it is important to never overdo it and just do it for 15-20 minutes with at least 2 hours of rest to protect your skin. It is also important to keep in mind to never sleep with a heating pad on your skin.
Doing these steps might hopefully help you in easing the pain in your back. If your back pain persists, consult your doctor immediately. Listen to your body and never ignore the signals.
