How To Live Without Chronic Back Pain According To An Expert
2022-09-14T17:56:59.257Z
Fitness expert Dana Santas helps you create a routine to say goodbye to chronic back pain. How to walk the right way to improve your health 1:56 — Too often, after searching unsuccessfully for a magical answer to eradicate chronic back pain, people decide that living with it is a normal part of life. But living with back pain is not normal, nor is it necessary. This article will enable you to create your own personalized long-term strategy for maintaining back health and leadi
How to walk the right way to improve your health 1:56
Too often, after searching unsuccessfully for a magical answer to eradicate chronic back pain, people decide that living with it is a normal part of life.
But living with back pain is not normal, nor is it necessary.
This article will enable you to create your own personalized long-term strategy for maintaining back health and leading an active, pain-free lifestyle.
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Reduce back pain with these 5-minute home exercises
Back pain is a highly personal experience, with diverse causes and equally diverse treatment options, but studies have shown that exercise is the most effective means of achieving lasting relief.
It is also important to establish a mind-body connection and harness the power of the breath to not only calm the pain response, but also restore proper alignment of the ribcage, pelvis, and spine to relieve pressure. on the back.
The body needs movement to heal itself.
Important Note:
Dissipate Stressors During Everyday Activities
Even small amounts of stressing on the intricate structures in your lower back can add up and lead to degeneration and pain over time. Here are recommendations on how to reduce everyday stresses to concentrate on your lower back5:
- Opening a door. While opening a door, stand straight in front of the doorâs handle and pull it perpendicular to your body. Avoid standing on the side of the handle and twisting your trunk while opening the door, which may injure your spinal ligaments.
- Using a vacuum cleaner. While vacuuming, hold the vacuum cleaner in front of your body with both hands and use small arm movements while cleaning. Holding the vacuum to the side of your body with just one hand results in large arm movements and requires more twisting torque forces on your lower spine.
- Shoveling snow or while gardening. While shoveling, rest one arm on your thigh while slightly bending the knees. This technique helps prevent large arm movements and prolonged stooping, which significantly loads your lower back.
Using spine-sparing principles such as these on a daily basis helps prevent chronic injury to the tissues.
How To Minimize Work
Persistent back pain could be a result prolonged hours sitting in front of the computer at your desk-bound job. Sometimes it can cause additional discomfort when the pain manifests and travel up to the neck. If left unattended, back pain could take a toll on your standard of living and cause mental and physical implications.
Consider the following tips to help you minimize work-related back pain.
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Heat Therapy And Cold Therapy To Help Back Pain
Heat therapy and cold therapy are two sides of the same coin. Heat therapy uses warm water or heating pads to relieve muscle pain, while cold therapy uses ice or cold water. In certain situations, using heat therapy and cold therapy can help relieve pain and promote healing.
For new or acute pain like pain caused by a fall or other pain that shouldnt last beyond six weeks cold therapy can be a great way to reduce swelling, decrease inflammation and numb pain.
For chronic pain pain thats expected to last or has lasted for more than six weeks heat is usually the temperature of choice for soothing pain and stimulating the healing process.
You might benefit from both hot and cold therapy. For instance, after exercise, immediate cold therapy can reduce muscle soreness. After 24 hours, switching to heat therapy can help your muscles heal faster.
Other Potential Sources Of Back Pain
- Infections: Any infection of the pelvis, nerves, and the spine can cause back pain.
- Poor sleep hygiene: Those with sleeping disorders are highly prone to getting back pains. A mattress that provides poor back support can also lead to back pain or worsen existing back pain.
- Poor Lifestyle Habits: Sedentary lifestyles, obesity, poor posture, standing, bending, sitting too long, hunching can result in back pain. Driving for an extended period of time is also a leading precursor for back pain.
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How To Relieve Lower Back Pain By Sleeping With A Pillow
Improper sleeping postures can take a toll on your back. Here’s how to use a pillow to relieve lower back pain.
Hedy Phillips
CNET Contributor
Hedy Phillips is a freelance lifestyle writer based in New York. While she’s not writing on topics like living on a budget and tips for city dwelling, she can usually be found at a concert or sightseeing in a new city. Over the past 10 years, her bylines have appeared in a number of publications, including POPSUGAR, Hunker, and more.
Back pain can present itself at any given time and be caused by several factors. Back pain is also one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. According to a University of Georgetown study, more than 65 million people complain to their doctors about back pain, and 8% of adults in the study report chronic back pain, or pain that lasts for weeks.
While you can see a doctor for treatment options relating to your back pain, there are some more holistic approaches you can take at home, like stretching, using a massage gun or sleeping with a pillow between your legs. For the latter, we’ll give you some tips on how this simple solution can provide some relief for back pain. That way, you’ll fall asleep in no time and stay asleep all night without experiencing any pain.
Read more:Trouble Sleeping? Try These 6 Natural Sleep Aids for Better Rest
Which Low Back Exercise Is Right For You
If you are experiencing pain on one side of your back or leg, then try the first exercise and monitor symptoms as you exercise. Watch for centralization, which is a decrease in leg or thigh pain and an increase in low back pain. Centralization that occurs while you are performing an exercise is a good sign and indicates that the particular exercise is the correct one for you to be doing.
If your symptoms worsen, fail to centralize, or only centralize partially, move on to the next exercise in the list. Attempt the exercise, and monitor any changes in your symptoms. Remember pain that moves closer to your spine is a good sign.
Before starting any exercise for your back, it is a good idea to check in with your healthcare provider to be sure that exercise is safe for you to do. Your local physical therapist can help you decide on the best exercises for your specific condition.
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Take Frequent Short Breaks
When working long hours at a desk, it is important to take frequent short breaks to get up and move around. Ideally, employees should stretch their back and legs at least once every hour by taking a walk and performing stretches. Even a short one minute walk can be very beneficial for preventing back pain. If frequent breaks are not possible, try to stretch at least three times during your workday. You can even perform dynamic stretches while moving from room to room in your office.
Incorporating other relaxation techniques into your workday can also be very beneficial. Practice proper breathing techniques to help elongate your spine. Doing yoga can also reduce stress and physical tension.
Common Causes Of Office Back Pain
Working professionals use multiple monitors, writing surfaces, laptops and devices during the 40-hour workweek. While back pain can present itself seemingly out of nowhere, you might be able to identify common stressors for your back by analyzing your daily routine. Paying attention to the placement of office equipment can help you make a much-needed change for relief. Factors such as the position of your head and shoulders can heighten back pain if your setup is scattered or inefficient. Your head weighs about 12 pounds and takes a lot of muscle strength to support.
Poor posture is one of the most common causes of office back pain. During the workday, a person may slide forward in their chair, slouch or lean towards their computer. Fatigue can also encourage employees to have an overly relaxed posture while sitting or standing. These positions can stretch spinal ligaments too much and stress your spinal discs. Holding a phone between your ear and shoulder for an extended time can also create tension in your spine.
The design of a workspace can also contribute to poor posture or strained movements. If an employee must twist or reach frequently, they are likely to develop back pain. A cramped workspace can also cause tension if employees cannot move freely. Office chairs that do not offer proper lumbar support and other ergonomic features may encourage poor posture that leads to back pain.
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Strengthen Your Core Muscles Daily
Strong and supportive muscles throughout the trunk of your body are essential to support your spine. Core-building exercises include:
- Low-impact cardiovascular exercise, such as normal or brisk walking, which helps increase blood flow to the spine and stretch your muscles. An adequate flow of blood supplies healing nutrients and hydration to the structures in your lower back.1,2
- Water therapy, which provides a greater range of motion due to the buoyancy of water, particularly for exercises that require lifting the legs. Water also provides resistance by means of gentle friction, allowing the strengthening and conditioning of an injured muscle.3Water therapy is optimal for people who have chronic back pain and find it too painful to exercise without the supportive effect of water.
- Exercise ball workouts, such as sitting on the ball intermittently for about 20 to 30 minutes and/or using the ball for stretches and exercises that engage your core muscles.4
If exercise seems difficult or impossible to you, make small goals to slowly get yourself moving, such as going up and down your stairs 3 times in a row or walking in a park with a friend.
Consider engaging a physical therapist or other qualified health practitioners to help you get started and provide correct guidance on how to safely exercise.
Read more about Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain Relief
Quadruped Arm And Leg Raise
- Kneel on the floor, lean forward, and place your hands palm down.
- Keep the knees in line with the hips and the hands directly below the shoulders.
- Without moving the spine, simultaneously lift one arm and extend the opposite leg so that they are in line with the spine.
- Return to the starting position.
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Tips For Dealing With Lower Back Pain
By Robert Greenleaf, MD, Spine Surgeon
Lower back pain is extremely common and one of the top reasons for missed workdays. Thats because the lower back supports the weight of the upper body and is subject to a lot of stress and strainespecially during everyday movements like lifting and twisting.
One of two things typically causes lower back pain: a sudden injury or the wear and tear of aging, arthritis and physical activity. No matter the cause of your lower back pain, here are 10 recommendations that can help you relieve it and prevent future problems.
Tips To Protect Your Lower Back
The marvelous strength and flexibility that’s engineered into your lower back also makes it susceptible to developing lots of problems. And because of the many nerves that run throughout your spine and into the rest of your body, a problem in the lower back can lead to leg pain, hip problems, and more.
Learn more about the anatomy of your lower spine. Watch:Lumbar Spine Anatomy Video
Protecting your lower back involves taking measures to avoid direct injury, prevent indirect trauma, and control the progression of a problem that may have already occurred.
Here are 7 proven tips that can go a long way in protecting and stabilizing your lower back.
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Sleep On A Quality Mattress
Lower back pain sufferers usually benefit from sleeping on a medium-firm mattress. However, your preferred sleep position also should influence your mattress selection. To maintain good posture, side sleepers should select a softer mattress. Back and stomach sleepers should choose a firmer mattress. If you have lower back pain, its a good idea to avoid sleeping on your stomach altogether.
If your lower back pain doesnt improve after 4 to 6 weeks of home care using these suggestions, you should see your doctor. You also should contact your doctor right away if you have any red flags, including:
- A history of cancer or a recent infection
- A recent fall or other accident
- Extreme fatigue
- Signs of infection, such as fever, chills, sweats
- Nerve problems, such as shooting pain, numbness or tingling
- Changes in bowel or bladder function
Other options for treating lower back pain may include physical therapy, pain management with cortisone injections or, in certain cases, surgery. Although lower back surgery can be beneficial for patients who are experiencing nerve problems and injured discs, its not typically recommended for patients with other types of lower back pain.
Download the Virtua Health Guide to Back Pain, or call to request a consultation with a Virtua back pain specialist.
Keep Your Feet Lying Flat On The Floor
Make an effort to keep your foot planted on the floor and thighs parallel to the floor when youre working in front of the desk. If you are unable to keep your feet planted flat on the ground, you can use a stool or place some books to use as a foot rest.
Keeping your feet planted and at least shoulder-width apart helps minimize any tension in your knees and ankles.
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Find Back Pain Relief With Metropolitan Pain & Spine Institute
Back pain at work can range from dull acute pain to severe chronic back pain that disrupts daily life. Even short-term back pain can have serious impacts on your ability to focus and work comfortably. Because we understand that pain is a complex symptom, the specialists at Metropolitan Pain & Spine Institute will design a pain management plan that is tailored to you and your back pain. Metropolitan Pain & Spine Institute offers a wide variety of treatment options for pain including therapies, medications, injections and surgeries. Our physicians can draw on multiple disciplines to offer the right treatment and prevention techniques for you.
If you are ready for relief from back pain, contact Metropolitan Pain & Spine Institute to learn more about our pain management options and take the next step towards comfort.
This content was medically reviewed by Baher Yanni, M.D, on January 31st, 2019.
Resources:
Determine Your Resting Eye Level
While you are still situated in your chair, close your eyes for a few moments and then slowly open them. As you open your eyes, your gaze should be on your computer screen or the area where you will be looking for the majority of your work. If this area is not aligned with your resting eye level, or if you sense that you are tilting your head either higher or lower, you will need to make adjustments accordingly.
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Protect Your Discs Immediately After Waking
The pressure within your discs rises up to 240% when you sleep at night .6 At this time, your discs are fully hydrated and are typically at a higher risk of herniation when subject to bending or lifting forces.5,6
Maintaining a straight back for an hour or two after waking allows your discs to regain their normal pressure and withstand loads more effectively.5,6
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.
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When To Speak With A Doctor
It is best to speak with a doctor if back pain worsens. Keeping a diary to monitor the severity of the pain and how it impacts a personâs daily activities may assist the diagnosis.
People should also seek medical advice if they experience any of the below symptoms, which may indicate an alternative or additional underlying problem:
- a persistent curve in the lower back, even when bending forward
- tingling or numbness in the back, arms, or legs
Exercises That Can Relieve Lower Back Pain In Just 10 Minutes
Lower back pain is a common pest that promises to suck the joy right out of just about anything.
But dont worry, you are not alone! Lower back pain is the most common musculoskeletal complaint worldwide, and it is estimated that up to 85% of all adults will experience low back pain at some stage during their lifetime.
Majority of lower back pain will be non-specific, meaning that there is pain in the absence of a specific underlying condition that can be reliably identified.
There are only a tiny percentage of adults with lower back pain due to a serious underlying condition.
There is strong evidence to suggest that bed rest is not helpful, and can actually worsen your outcomes long-term!
The key to a fast recovery and prevention of relapse is remaining as active as possible and to progressively increase your activity levels.
The good news is that the prognosis for acute lower back pain is excellent. Up to 90% of cases will improve within days to weeks with the right self care.
Below are 5 simple exercises you can try right now for lower back pain relief.
Your symptoms should not intensify as a result of doing the exercise. You should feel a slight stretch/ uncomfortable feeling. However, do not move into pain!
Without forcing the movement, perform each exercise slowly 2-3 times a day for best results. Be sure to breathe throughout the exercises!
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