Back pain, mainly lower back pain is something a good percentage of Americans have experienced. Matter of fact, most Americans will experience this at some point in their life. The severity of back pain should not be overlooked and at the onset of any pain experienced from this, you should consider a doctors visit. As common as back pain has became, it is not impossible for individuals to continue on with there lives through non-surgical means.
The focus here will be to discuss common treatments and rehabilitation methods that can help alleviate back pain. While I am not a doctor, these methods are what have been successful for me. The number one piece of advice to be given would be to see your doctor, especially if the pain is severe enough, such as waking you up in the middle of the night. However, here are a few at home methods that can work.
Stretching
With back pain, no remedy will be a quick fix. Time and relaxation are key factors to help alleviate your pain. The first form of treatment and probably the best that worked for me is stretching. Some people get the false sense that a massage will work the best, but from my experiences, massage never really fixed anything.
There are basically a series of three stretches that I worked into my rehabilitation. First, while lying on your back, grasp your knee (left or right) and slowly pull it into your chest for a count of ten. Be careful, do it slow and get a good stretch. Alternate with the other leg and do three sets. Next, in the same position lying on your back, grasp both knees and do the same thing as you did before. Pull your knees up towards your chest slowly and hold for a ten count. Remember, never jerk or pull up fast, take it slow and get a good stretch. Lastly, still lying on your back, bring either knee up and grasp it with the opposite hand. Pull it slowly across your opposite thigh, while keeping your shoulder blades on the ground. You will start to feel it stretching the lower back. Do three sets for a ten count and alternate sides. These few stretches, along with a moderate exercise regime will help bring the pain down.
Heat, Ice and Massage
Heat, Ice and Massage are good methods of physical therapy to reduce back pain, but these are not long term solutions. It should be noted that proper stretching, exercise and diet are the only long term fixes for back pain. Also, hot packs and ice should only be used for about ten minutes a few times per day. I would recommend a few days of rest with the use of heat and ice and then implement your stretching and exercise program.
Hot packs will help increase blood flow to the affected area and relax your muscles. This will definitely help reduce the pain. Hot tubs, hot baths and showers can help as well. Cold packs should help with any inflammation that may be present at the onset of your injury. In the past, massage therapy has not been very successful for me, but if done correctly great results can be achieved. So, my advice here would be that if you do select massage as one of your physical therapy methods, do some research because a good one can work wonders.
In conclusion, what has been stated above is a personal experience and some remedies I have implemented to help alleviate back pain. Please remember that heat and ice fail to address the underlying physical issues, such as strength and flexibility. You can achieve a healthy lifestyle through proper exercise, stretching and good nutrition.
For more interesting information on back pain, please visit my blog, Back Pain. http://back-pain-rob.blogspot.com
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