How To Release Lower Back Pain

Associated Lower Back Trigger Points

The following images show trigger points found in muscle that are usually present with lower back pain. If not eliminated they can prevent resolution of major lower back trigger points and hinder full recovery or pain relief.

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When To Get Help For Low Back Pain

Pain from ruptured discs and arthritis doesn’t have to flatten you. There are a variety of ways to ease lower back pain discomfort and reduce disability, often without drugs.

Spinal problems are the price we pay for walking upright. Wear and tear on our backbones and the constant pull of gravity on our vertebrae take their toll over time. Nearly every adult has had a stiff or sore back at some time.

Sciatica is a term you’ve probably heard people use for pain in the lower back, radiating to the buttocks and down one or both legs. “When patients tell me they have sciatica, they could have one of two conditionsa leaking disc or spinal stenosis ,” says Dr. Steven Atlas, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. These conditions in turn can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, which emerges from the lumbar spine, separates just above the buttocks, and runs down each leg.

Know Your Otc Medications

Nonprescription pain relievers can help with muscle aches and stiffness. The two main types of over-the-counter options are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen. NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.

True to their name, NSAIDs help lower inflammation that can lead to swelling and tenderness. But acetaminophen does not relieve inflammation. You can reach for either type of pain reliever for occasional back pain. NSAIDs may work a bit better, Hemani says, if you have arthritis of the spine or other inflammatory conditions.

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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.

How To Reverse A Pinched Nerve In Lower Back

2020/05/23 by Meital James

When it comes to healing from a pinched nerve in the lower back, early diagnosis is critical to prevent further damage and complications.

But whats really confusing is that youll be offered the exact same pinched nerve treatment, whether youre diagnosed earlier or later.

Pills.

Nice colorful pills. Those will be offered to you as a solution.

But the average doctor will teach you absolutely nothing about fixing the root cause of your pinched nerve, how to heal it completely and prevent it from coming back in a month or so.

Nor will he tell you that medication only covers up the symptoms and that the pain will come right back, if you dont address the root cause.

Here youll find the best alternative, safe and natural treatments for a lower back pinched nerve, and how to fix whats been causing it in the first place.

Page Contents

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Myofascial Release For Low Back Pain

Lower-back pain is a fact of life for a significant number of adults, which means it is likely your clients will turn to you for help in relieving their pain so they can return to the activities they enjoy. Biomechanics expert Justin Price demonstrates several myofascial release techniques that can greatly improve the mobility of the feet, ankles and hips, and help alleviate lower-back pain.

Performing myofascial release for low back pain on a regular basis will help alleviate pain in your clients lower back as well as in the feet, ankles, knees, and hips. For more information on how to help your clients address the muscle imbalances and postural issues that contribute to lower-back pain, check out part 1 and part 2 of Justin Prices informative series in ACE ProSource.

Are You Making Your Back Pain Worse

Don’t be guilty of exacerbating your already achy back. Try these tips for preventing added low back pain:

• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes if you are on your feet all day.
• Don’t slouch when standing or sitting.
• At home or work, make sure work surfaces are at a comfortable height.
• Warm-up and stretch before exercise or other strenuous physical activity.
• Don’t try to lift objects that are too heavy and don’t twist while lifting.
• Live a healthy lifestyle, stop smoking, and keep off the extra weight.

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What Is Lower Back Pain

Low back pain can result from many different injuries, conditions or diseases most often, an injury to muscles or tendons in the back.

Pain can range from mild to severe. In some cases, pain can make it difficult or impossible to walk, sleep, work or do everyday activities.

Usually, lower back pain gets better with rest, pain relievers and physical therapy . Cortisone injections and hands-on treatments can relieve pain and help the healing process. Some back injuries and conditions require surgical repair.

What Does A Pinched Nerve Feel Like

I feel like needles are poking my body.

A pinched nerve is a nerve that receives too much pressure from surrounding tissues and as a result, becomes pinched and unable to transmit electric signals properly.

When this nerve finally gives up and stops working you feel tingling/pins and needles, burning and shooting pains along with feelings of numbness or muscle weakness.

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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.

How Can You Prevent Lower Back Pain

While you cant stop aging or change your genetic makeup, lifestyle changes can help manage and prevent lower back pain. Having a healthy lifestyle may make you less likely to suffer an accidental injury, too.

Improve your physical fitness. People who are not physically fit are more likely to develop lower back pain because strong core muscles help support the lower back.

Stay active. People who lead sedentary lives may be more likely to injure themselves when they do exert themselves. As far as back health is concerned, its better to do a smaller amount of physical activity most days of the week than to sit all week and over-exert yourself on the weekends.

Lose weight if necessary. The more you weigh, the more pressure you have on your lumbar vertebrae. Being overweight or obese can put stress on the back and lead to lower back pain.

Lift heavy objects the right way. Be sure to squat while lifting so that your hips and knees do much of the work. Keep the load close to your chest while you lift.

Your legs, not your lower back, should be the main driver when you’re lifting something heavy.Make your workspace as ergonomic as possible. If you sit at a desk, make sure your chair has plenty of low-back support and your hips are at a right angle to the floor.

Dont use tobacco products. In addition to all the other health problems tobacco use causes, it can restrict blood flow and oxygen to the discs, causing them to degenerate faster.

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Workouts That Can Cause Low Back Pain

Most athletic injuries to the back are sprains of the ligaments or strains of the muscles surrounding the spine. Serious conditions or complications can have similar symptoms to those of a routine sprain or strain. The most common sports injuries occur after repetitive overuse of the spine either through twisting, compression, or flexion. High impact sports such as running, football, or volleyball can often cause low back pain. Sports like golf, in which repetitive twisting is often involved, can also cause low back pain.

Gently Stretch Your Joints And Soft Tissues Through Yoga

Yoga is an effective way to stretch your back, improve the health of muscles and joints, enhance distribution of healing nutrients through blood circulation, and increase the flexibility of the spine.12

See Healing Benefits of Yoga

When you start, perform the stretches slowly and advance only if you feel comfortable without pain. Gradually, you will be able to add more stretches to your routine. An ideal time for yoga is early morningto help loosen your spine and also reduce stiffness and aches in your back.

See 3 Beginner Yoga Poses for Lower Back Pain Relief

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When Is Lower Back Pain An Emergency

Most episodes of lower back pain eventually resolve on their own, but there are times when you should seek urgent medical attention. Some of these situations include:

• Patient is a child
• Pain is severe, constant, suddenly or progressively worsens, and/or doesnt go away
• Pain interrupts sleep

While some situations may warrant immediate intervention, most cases are not urgent and can be scheduled at a time convenient for the patient.

How Is Low Back Pain Diagnosed

A complete medical history and physical exam can usually identify any serious conditions that may be causing the pain. Neurologic tests can help determine the cause of pain and appropriate treatment. Imaging tests are not needed in most cases but may be ordered to rule out specific causes of pain, including tumors and spinal stenosis. Occasionally the cause of chronic lower back pain is difficult to determine even after a thorough examination.

Tests include:

Blood tests are not routinely used to diagnose the cause of back pain but might be ordered to look for signs of inflammation, infection, cancer, and/or arthritis.

Bone scans can detect and monitor an infection, fracture, or bone disorder. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the bloodstream and collects in the bones, particularly in areas with some abnormality. Scanner-generated images can identify specific areas of irregular bone metabolism or abnormal blood flow, as well as to measure levels of joint disease.

Discography involves injecting a contrast dye into a spinal disc thought to be causing low back pain. The fluids pressure in the disc will reproduce the persons symptoms if the disc is the cause. The dye helps to show the damaged areas on CT scans taken following the injection.

Electrodiagnostics can identify problems related to the nerves in the back and legs. The procedures include:

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Stretching For Back Pain Relief

Regularly stretching the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the spine is an important element of all back exercise programs. Stretches designed to alleviate neck and back pain are likely to be prescribed by a doctor, physical therapist, or spine specialist.

See Specialists Who Treat Back Pain

Benefits of stretching include:

• Reducing tension in muscles supporting the spine tension in these muscles can worsen pain from any number of back pain conditions
• Improving range of motion and overall mobility
• Reducing risk of disability caused by back pain

Pain that lasts longer than 3 months may require weeks or months of regular stretching to successfully reduce pain. Stretches may be included as part of a physical therapy program, and/or recommended to be done at home on a daily basis.

How Is Lower Back Pain Diagnosed

Your provider will ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam. To check for broken bones or other damage, your provider may order imaging studies. These studies help your provider see clear pictures of your vertebrae, disks, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Your provider may order:

• Spine X-ray, which uses radiation to produce images of bones.
• MRI, which uses a magnet and radio waves to create pictures of bones, muscles, tendons and other soft tissues.
• CT scan, which uses X-rays and a computer to create 3D images of bones and soft tissues.

• Electromyography to test nerves and muscles and check for neuropathy , which can cause tingling or numbness in your legs.

  Depending on the cause of pain, your provider may also order blood tests or urine tests. Blood tests can detect genetic markers for some conditions that cause back pain . Urine tests check for kidney stones, which cause pain in the flank .

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Bonus Tip: Consider Taking A Vitamin D3 Supplement

If your doctor agrees, consider taking a vitamin D3 supplement. Vitamin D is essential for bone, neuromuscular, and immune system function. Taking a vitamin D3 supplement can help reduce back pain by increasing the absorption of calcium in your body and improving bone strength.15

See Calcium and Vitamin D Requirements

Finding the perfect pain relief technique is usually a process of trial and error, making it worth exploring various approaches. Try these natural pain-relieving strategies for your back pain and see what works best for you. Severe pain that is not relieved by self-care must be evaluated by a health professional for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Your Back Pain Is Trying To Tell You Something Chronic Back Pain Might Be Caused By Stuck Emotions

No one quite understands back pain unless they have experienced it. It can be a debilitating and painful situation that is not easily managed. When back pain flares up, it can be hard to find a comfortable position, whether sitting, standing, or laying down. Finding relief from the pain is one thing, but finding a way to free yourself from the underlying cause is something else.

What Your Back Pain Is Telling You

Emily A. Francis, author of The Body Heals Itself, contends that in order to resolve any pain in the body, we must be willing to consider both physical and emotional issues. Pain in the body may be a result of repetitive action that shifts your physical structure out of balance, forcing your muscles to compensate. The systems of the body strive to create equilibrium. If you carry a purse packed full of stuff around every day, it doesnât take much to imagine that will cause some pain in your shoulder, back, or even hip.

Another layer of pain often involves emotional trauma. Francis explains, âMuscles store emotional memory. simply store what the body has endured throughout its life.â To get at the heart of what is causing the pain, it sometimes requires that we move deeper into this less tangible layer of what we are carrying with us. As a bodyworker, Francis has worked with many clients on accessing and releasing emotions that have been lodged in their body tissues.

Three Ways to Release Stuck Emotions and Heal Back Pain

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Treating Lower Back Pain: How Much Bed Rest Is Too Much

Back pain is one of the most common reasons why people visit a health care provider. The good news is that the pain often goes away on its own, and people usually recover in a week or two. Many people want to stay in bed when their back hurts. For many years, getting bed rest was the normal advice. But current studies recommend no bed rest at all and stress that staying in bed longer than 48 hours not only wont help but it may, in fact, actually delay your recovery. Heres why:

Staying in bed wont help you get better faster.If youre in terrible pain, lying down for a day to help ease the distress may seem like a good idea, but moderating your activities and staying active in a limited way is a more effective way to control your symptoms. Research suggests that if you can find comfortable positions and keep moving, you may not need bed rest at all.Research shows that:

• Lying down longer than a day or two day isnt helpful for relieving back pain.
• People can recover more quickly without any bed rest.
• The sooner you start moving, even a little bit, or return to activities such as walking, the faster you are likely to improve.

Who needs bed rest?Almost no one! The only people who might require time in bed are those with unstable spinal fractures awaiting surgery.

When should I see a health care provider?You should see your health care provider right away if:

• Heat or ice
• Ultrasound
• Manipulation

Check with your health care provider before starting an exercise program.

Get Enough Restorative Sleep

Pain is a leading cause of insomniadifficulty with falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Inadequate sleep can also make your back pain worse. This vicious cycle makes it more difficult for you to get restorative sleep.

See Restorative Sleep Brings Back Pain Relief

Getting enough restorative sleep is needed for the bodys tissues to heal and recharge energy levels. If you have trouble sleeping, it is important to address pain or other factors that are causing it. Your doctor might recommend lifestyle changes, medications, or other treatments depending on what is disrupting your sleep.

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Core Stability Pelvic Tilt

Lack of core control and stability is a key player in lower back pain. When the abdominal muscles are not performing, the muscles of the lumbar spine have to work harder to stabilize the body in balance. An excellent way to improve core stability is to lie flat with the knees bent up. Tighten abdominal muscles and press the small of the back into the floor. Hold this contraction for 10 seconds and repeat 10-20 times. You can either have your arms resting by your sides or behind your head, depending on whats more comfortable. With this stretch, it is important remember:

• Keep your feet flat on the floor
• Keep your shoulders pressed to the floor, but relaxed
• Do not hold your breath as you perform this exercise

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While lower back pain is extremely common, it is not something you have to live with every day. Improving hip flexibility and core stability as well as lengthening the back muscles by stretching can help reduce the symptoms of lower back pain. However, if your back pain is chronic, the above stretches may help but additional treatment may be warranted.