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How Do You Stop Your Lower Back From Hurting

Less Common Causes Of Low Back Pain

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Inflammation of the joints of the spine sometimes causes back pain. Osteoarthritis is the common form of arthritis and usually occurs in older people. Ankylosing spondylitis is another form of arthritis that can occur in young adults and which causes pain and stiffness in the lower back. Rheumatoid arthritis may affect the spine but you are likely to have other joints affected too.

Various uncommon bone disorders, tumours, infection and pressure from structures near to the spine occasionally cause low back pain .

The rest of this leaflet is mainly about nonspecific low back pain – the common type of low back pain.

What Are The Treatments For Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain usually gets better with rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers. After a few days of rest, you can start to get back to your normal activities. Staying active increases blood flow to the area and helps you heal.

Other treatments for lower back pain depend on the cause. They include:

  • Medications: Your provider may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription drugs to relieve pain. Other medications relax muscles and prevent back spasms.
  • Physical therapy : PT can strengthen muscles so they can support your spine. PT also improves flexibility and helps you avoid another injury.
  • Hands-on manipulation: Several hands-on treatments can relax tight muscles, reduce pain and improve posture and alignment. Depending on the cause of pain, you may need osteopathic manipulation or chiropractic adjustments. Massage therapy can also help with back pain relief and restore function.
  • Injections: Your provider uses a needle to inject medication into the area thats causing pain. Steroid injections relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
  • Surgery: Some injuries and conditions need surgical repair. There are several types of surgery for low back pain, including many minimally invasive techniques.

What Are Some Less Invasive Or Noninvasive Back Pain Treatments

Your doctor has a wide range of treatments that may help your lower back pain. In general, expect your doctor to take a stepped care approach. That means starting with simple, low-cost treatments and moving to more aggressive approaches later. Keep in mind that many treatments take time to reach their full effect.

Medications. When over-the-counter pills and topicals dont do enough to relieve back pain, your doctor may recommend a prescription drug. Examples include:

  • Antiseizure medication, such gabapentin or pregabalin, for nerve-related pain
  • Muscle relaxants, such as baclofen or carisoprodol
  • Prescription NSAIDs, such as celecoxib, diclofenac, or fenoprofen
  • Opioids, such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, on a short-term basis.

Physical therapy . PT for lower back pain involves passive and active therapies to help the patient build core muscle strength, improve spinal flexibility and range of motion, correct posture and more. Your physical therapy sessions may include:

Injections. An epidural steroid injection or a selective nerve block may provide short-term pain relief when lower back pain causes sciatica symptoms, such as leg pain.

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Find Activities That Make You Happy

Ongoing back pain can wreak havoc on your life, affecting your cherished relationships, finances, and your ability to get stuff done at work and at home. Finding activities that make you happy can help reduce some stress and may relieve some pain.

Some people find that even doing just 3 things that make them feel good each daysuch as enjoying a comforting cup of tea or coffee, calling an old friend, walking the dog, or receiving a longish 30-second hug from a loved onecan make pain more tolerable.

Even something as simple as laughter with a friend may stimulate feel-good endorphins.1, 2

Bonus Tip: Soothe The Pain With Cold And/or Hot

DO YOU HAVE BACK PAIN?

Don’t underestimate the pain reduction of simply applying cold packs and/or hot packs to help reduce your lower back pain.

  • Cold therapy helps reduce inflammation and pain. Some examples include wrapping ice in a cloth, a pack of frozen peas from the freezer, or a cold gel pack. Always keep at least one layer between your skin and the ice/cold pack.
  • Heat therapy helps improve blood flow, relaxation, and pain relief. Heat therapy can come in many forms. It’s best to try several to find what works best for you. Taking a warm bath or shower, soaking in a hot tub, or using a heating pad or heat wrap are all ways to bring warmth to your lower back.

Whether applying ice or a heat pack, limit applications to 15 or 20 minutes with at least 2 hours of rest in between to protect your skin. Never sleep with a heating pad or frozen pack as this can lead to permanent skin damage.

Hopefully these overlooked remedies can help you try some new approaches to better manage your lower back pain and find lasting relief.

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Invest In An Ergonomic Office Chair

Slouching forward while working at a desk places excessive pressure on the discs in your lower back and can cause problems, such as disc degeneration to occur or further deteriorate. Support the natural curve in your lower spine by:

  • Using an ergonomic chair that helps you align and support your back and thighs correctly
  • Placing a small rolled-up towel in the small of your back for additional support
  • Using a standup desk, if possible for at least part of the day

It is helpful to set a timer for every 50 minutes to an hour on your phone to remind yourself to check your posture, walk for a few minutes, and stretch your lower back and leg muscles.

What Are The Symptoms Of Lumbar Strain

. Each person’s symptoms may be different. Symptoms may include:

  • Sudden lower back pain
  • Spasms in the lower back that result in more severe pain
  • Lower back feels sore to the touch

Some of these symptoms may be caused by other health problems. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Recommended Reading: Exercise For Lower Back Pain Mayo Clinic

Learn To Love Yoga To Heal Your Lower Back Pain

In a twelve-month study conducted in the U.K., researchers discovered that yoga was a highly cost-effective way to manage and heal lower back pain. Not only that, but the people in the study who did the yoga also took fewer sick days than the non-yoga-doing control group. So, your back hurts less and you get sick less often? Sounds awesome as far as my training aspirations go!

But which yoga poses are the best for your low back? And is there something you can do on your own without attending yoga classes? Yes, indeed. Yoga expert has a sequence of five yoga poses she suggests you do daily in order to relief back pain. At the very least, you should do these after every workout:

  • Supine Hamstring Stretch
  • For detailed instructions on how to work through this sequence, read Julies article Heal Your Lower Back Pain With These 5 Yoga Poses.

    How Your Back Works

    How to Finally Stop Your Back Pain-Most Important Thing You Need To Do

    The spine, which is also called the backbone or spinal column, is one of the strongest parts of the body and gives us a great deal of flexibility and strength.

    Its made up of 24 bones, known as vertebrae, one sitting on top of the other. These bones have discs in between and lots of strong ligaments and muscles around them for support. There are also the bones in the tailbone at the bottom of the back, which are fused together and have no discs in between.

    On either side of the spine, running from top to bottom, are many small joints called the facet joints.

    The spinal cord passes inside the vertebrae, which protect it.

    The spinal cord connects to the brain through the base of the skull and to the rest of the body by nerves that pass through spaces between the bones of the spine. These nerves are also known as nerve roots.

    As you grow older, the structures of your spine, such as the joints, discs and ligaments, age as well. The structures remain strong but its usual for your back to get stiffer as you get older.

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    Overlooked Remedies For Lower Back Pain Relief

    When lower back pain persists and continues to interfere with your quality of life, multiple treatment options may be needed for adequate relief. Below are some back pain treatments that are commonly overlooked or underused. Try one or more of these remedies to see which one, or combination, works best for you.

    Exercise And Physical Therapy

    Aside from aging, prolonged inactivity is a significant factor in developing sciatica. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle or dont get a lot of physical exercise, your joints and muscles will stiffen and freeze up. This can make standing, walking, or even sitting down painful.

    Inactivity isnt solely caused by lifestyle choices either its also a frequent consequence of traumatic injuries or conditions that force the patient to stay in bed. Even after recovery, any kind of movement will be painful since the spine isnt used to bearing the bodys weight anymore.

    Physical exercise is one of the best ways to address chronic pain. However, older patients need to balance the need for physical exercise with their special considerations. In cases like these, physical therapy is a better alternative since medical staff will be close by to assist them.

    Exercise and physical therapy are two of the most effective ways to alleviate mild-to-moderate sciatica. Your therapist will put you through a strict training regimen designed to loosen your joints and strengthen your muscles, allowing your spine to better support your weight. They may also recommend some exercises that you can follow at home.

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    What Should I Know About Back Pain

    Back pain is a very common problem and will affect many of us at some point during our lives.

    The good news is that in most cases it isnt a serious problem, and it might just be caused by a simple strain to a muscle or ligament.

    As far as possible, its best to continue with your normal everyday activities as soon as you can and to keep moving.

    Being active and exercising wont make your back pain worse, even if you have a bit of pain and discomfort at first. Staying active will help you get better. Taking painkillers can help you do this.

    What Causes Lumbar Strain

    Stop Lower Back PainNaturally and Effectively : Terry Talks Nutrition

    Injury can damage the tendons and muscles in the lower back. Pushing and pulling sports, such as weight lifting or football, can lead to a lumbar strain. In addition, sports that require sudden twisting of the lower back, such as in tennis, basketball, baseball, and golf, can lead to this injury.

    Certain risk factors can increase the risk for this injury. The risk factors are:

    • Severe lower back curvature
    • Weak back or belly muscles
    • Tight hamstrings

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    Rest Your Back After Prolonged Bending

    When you bend forward for a long time, such as while weeding your garden, certain changes take place in your discs and ligaments. These changes last for a few minutes, during which time, the stability of your spine is reduced. The joints also become temporarily stiff during this period.5

    Your lower back is at risk for sustaining a sudden injury after these tissue changes if you exert stress on your back immediately afterward, such as lifting a bag of soil right after youâve been bending and weeding for a long time.5

    It is advisable to stand upright for a few minutes and allow the spinal tissues to recover and re-shape after prolonged stooping or bending before attempting strenuous exertions.5

    Common Causes Of Chronic Back Pain

    Chronic back painis usually age-related, but can also result from a prior injury. The mostcommon causes include:

    In some cases, its difficult to pinpoint the cause of chronic back pain.If your doctor has exhausted all diagnostic options, its time to seek asecond opinion from a back pain specialist, recommends Nava. Itsimportant not to make rushed decisions or undergo extensive medicalprocedures until the origin of the pain is found. Not only may they nothelp they could make the pain worse, warns Nava.

    If the source of the pain is not known or cant be treated, your bestoption may be to work with your doctor on reducing the flare-ups and makingthe pain manageable with nonsurgical treatments.

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    Can I Prevent Lower Back Pain

    You cant prevent lower back pain that results from disease or structural problems in the spine. But you can avoid injuries that cause back pain.

    To reduce your risk of a back injury, you should:

    • Maintain a healthy weight: Excess weight puts pressure on vertebrae and disks.
    • Strengthen your abdominal muscles: Pilates and other exercise programs strengthen core muscles that support the spine.
    • Lift the right way: To avoid injuries, lift with your legs . Hold heavy items close to your body. Try not to twist your torso while youre lifting.

    Does The Alexander Technique Work

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    Supporters of the Alexander technique often claim it can help people with a wide range of health conditions. Some of these claims are supported by scientific evidence, but some have not yet been properly tested.

    There’s evidence suggesting the Alexander technique can help people with:

    • long-term back pain lessons in the technique may lead to reduced back pain-associated disability and reduce how often you feel pain for up to a year or more
    • long-term neck pain lessons in the technique may lead to reduced neck pain and associated disability for up to a year or more
    • Parkinson’s disease lessons in the technique may help you carry out everyday tasks more easily and improve how you feel about your condition

    If you have one of these conditions and you’re considering trying the Alexander technique, it’s a good idea to speak to your GP or specialist first to check if it might be suitable for you.

    Some research has also suggested the Alexander technique may improve general long-term pain, stammering, and balance skills in older people to help them avoid falls. But the evidence in these areas is limited and more studies are needed.

    There’s currently little evidence to suggest the Alexander technique can help improve other health conditions, including asthma, headaches, osteoarthritis, difficulty sleeping and stress.

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    Maintain Correct Posture During Activities

    To protect your lower back from injury, its important to maintain proper posture when performing physical activitiesespecially if you play sports or have a job that requires repetitive motions. Avoid slouching as much as possible and aim to keep your spine erect. When lifting, bend and straighten from the knees, not the waist. And be sure to move your hips when twisting from side to side.

    First A Few Quick Tips

    Stretch your lower back with safety and care. Be especially gentle and cautious if you have any type of injury or health concern. Its best to talk with your doctor first before starting any new types of exercise.

    You can do these stretches once or twice a day. But if the pain seems to get worse, or youre feeling very sore, take a day off from stretching.

    Be mindful of your bodys limits and dont push your body to do too much. Listen to your body and do what feels best for you in each moment.

    As you go through these stretches, take your time and pay close attention to your breathing. Use your breath as a guide to make sure you dont strain or overdo it. You should be able to breathe comfortably and smoothly throughout each pose or stretch.

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    What Can Cause A Tight Lower Back

    Sports injuries, overtraining, and accidents can cause your back to feel tight. Even everyday activities such as sitting can cause tightness.

    Often you develop tightness in the lower back to compensate for an issue in another part of the body. Tight hamstrings and gluteus muscles can also contribute to this tightness. Having poor posture or using incorrect form while lifting weights or having weak core muscles can also play a part.

    There are several other factors that can lead to or complicate a tight lower back. These include:

    • sprains and strains

    Youll typically see improvements within two to six weeks of doing daily exercises. You should see a doctor if:

    • your pain doesnt improve within a few weeks
    • you have intense pain while doing the exercises
    • the pain spreads to your legs

    Also see a doctor if you experience any numbness, swelling, or severe pain. Your doctor can help to determine if any pain or tightness is being caused by an underlying condition.

    There are many lifestyle changes you can practice to help prevent lower back pain. Here are a few guidelines and tips:

    • Adopt a balanced, healthy diet.
    • Maintain a healthy weight.

    When Is Exercise Appropriate

    Pin on Lower back pain

    Low back pain due to muscle strain or muscle spasm is amenable to exercise. But if the pain traces to a problem in the spine, approach exercise more cautiously. One common warning sign of a spine-related problem is sciatica, or pain that radiates from the back down into the leg. The pain may be accompanied by a tingling “pins and needles” sensation. If you have sciatica, don’t begin a new exercise program without speaking to a doctor.

    Less commonly, low back pain can be a “red flag” that warrants immediate medical attention if it takes any of these forms:

    • back pain with fever

    • pain that does not improve or worsens

    • numbness in the groin

    • loss of bladder or bowel control

    • leg weakness

    • inability to find a comfortable sitting or sleeping position during episodes of back pain.

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