What Can I Do For Lower Back Pain

How To Fix Lower Back Pain In Women

The treatment of low back pain depends on the underlying cause, which is yet another reason why you should schedule an appointment and see the doctor for symptoms you experience. The doctor evaluates each patient, assesses your health status and physical activity level and recommends different tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms in order to make an accurate diagnosis.

In cases when lower back pain is associated with other health conditions, then treatment for that problem can also help alleviate pain and discomfort. Depending on the diagnosis, patients have different treatments to try, but a combination of different approaches seems to be the most effective.

When it comes to lower back pain, youre not helpless. There are many things you can do to alleviate pain and discomfort and improve quality of life. Here are some treatment options even your doctor will recommend:

Massage Therapy For Low Back Pain

Studies have shown that massage treatments can help relieve chronic low back pain. Massage treatment can restore people to their usual activities of daily living and lessen pain. Massage therapy is limited, and would not be the most effective solution for patients with spinal complications, injuries, or disk problems since massage focuses on the release of muscle tension and not on the structure of the spine itself.

Embrace Single Leg Strength Work

If you earn the right to train through bouts of lower back pain, dont be the guy who ignorantly refuses to modify his existing leg day. As I mentioned before, pain changes everything, and in order to get a leg up on your lower back pain, you must evolve along with your programming.

Single leg work not only has to be a component of your program, it has to be the focus and foundation for strength and hypertrophy gains. You heard that right, get ready to embrace unilateral work into your primary movements, while focusing your assistance lifts, finishers and conditioning on bilateral movements.

General ordering and emphasis of movements needs to be altered in order to yield the training effects that will prevent your legs from shriveling up like an osteoporotic 80 year old.

Your single leg work needs to be programmed first, and programmed heavy. Next, movements out of the split stance should be completed within strength and hypertrophy parameters. Finally, bilateral work can be programmed as extended sets, finishers and conditioning work.

Also Check: How To Deal With Back Pain In Pregnancy

Whats The Best Way To Sit

Sit in chairs with straight backs or low-back support. Keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Adjust the seat or use a low stool to prop up your feet. To turn in your chair, move your whole body rather than twist at your waist.

When driving, sit straight and move the seat forward. This helps you not have to lean to reach the controls. You may want to put a small pillow or rolled towel behind your lower back if you must drive or sit for a long time.

What Is Back Pain

Back pain refers to pain that you may feel in your back or spine. It is a very common problem: 1 in 6 Australians report having back problems, and 4 out of 5 experience it sometime in their life. While both men and women report that they experience back problems, it is more commonly reported by people 25 years and older.

Back pain can be grouped into different categories. Lower back pain refers to pain felt in the lower part of the spine . Back problems can also affect the upper back , the neck as well as the tailbone .

People experience back pain in different ways. Some people say it feels like a sharp pain other people report aches or spasms. You may feel stiff, or find it hard to turn or bend in certain directions. In some cases, such as sciatica, pain can travel down one or both your legs.

Back pain can impact you physically and mentally. People suffering from back pain may feel irritable or short-tempered. They may worry about whether the pain will control their life and may experience feelings of helplessness.

Recommended Reading: What Do You Do If You Have Back Pain

Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain

Sometimes a pain may develop immediately after you lift something heavy, or after an awkward twisting movement. Sometimes it can develop for no apparent reason. Some people just wake up one day with low back pain.

Although nonspecific back pain is sometimes called simple back pain, simple does not mean that the pain is mild. The severity of the pain can range from mild to severe. Typically, the pain is in one area of the lower back but sometimes it spreads to one or both buttocks or thighs. The pain is usually eased by lying down flat. It is often made worse if you move your back, cough, or sneeze. So, nonspecific low back pain is mechanical in the sense that it varies with posture or activity.

Most people with a bout of nonspecific low back pain improve quickly, usually within a week or so, sometimes a bit longer. However, once the pain has eased or gone it is common to have further bouts of pain from time to time in the future. Also, it is common to have minor pains on and off for quite some time after an initial bad bout of pain. In a small number of cases the pain persists for several months or longer. This is called chronic back pain .

Skeletal Disease Or Injury

Skeletal disease or injury affecting the nerves on the right side of the back can lead to pain.

• Cartilage deterioration: This is wearing away of the cartilage at the ends of the bones, due to either age or disease.
• Bony growths: Small overgrowths of bones in the spine may crowd the spinal cord and cause pain and numbness or pinch other nearby structures. A general narrowing of the spinal canal is known as spinal stenosis.
• Scar tissue: This may form due to injury or the result of spinal surgery.
• Injury or disease of the discs: These are the “cushions” between each of the spinal vertebrae. A disc may be partly pushed out of place, causing pressure on a nerve. A disc may also rupture and lose some of its contents, causing pain and pressure on the surrounding nerves .

Don’t Miss: How To Relieve Lower Back Pain From Lifting

Finding Lower Back Pain Relief

Nearly everyone will experience some form of back pain in his or her lifetime. The low back is the area behind the belly from the rib cage to the pelvis and is also called the lumbar region. Back pain is a major cause of missed work. Low back pain usually resolves on its own and is commonly the result of a strain injury. There are many treatments for low back pain.

At Risk for Lower Back Pain?

Low back pain can start in a person’s early twenties and continue on throughout adulthood. Studies have shown that up to 80% of the general population are affected by low back pain at some time during their lives. Learn to prevent lower back pain by knowing what activities could be putting you at risk.

Common Causes of Low Back Pain

• Manual materials handling
• Twisting of the trunk
• Bending the trunk to the side
• Excessive reaching
• Extreme tallness

Chronic Or Acute Pain

• Acute pain starts suddenly and lasts for up to 6 weeks.
• Chronic or long-term pain develops over a longer period, lasts for over 3 months, and causes ongoing problems.

If a person has both occasional bouts of more intense pain and fairly continuous mild back pain, it can be hard for a doctor to determine whether they have acute or chronic back pain.

Back pain usually resolves with rest and home remedies, but sometimes medical treatment is necessary.

Recommended Reading: How To Heal Hurt Lower Back

What Is The Treatment For Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain

Initial treatment is similar to sudden-onset attacks. That is, aim to keep as active as possible. Also, painkillers can help. In addition to the painkillers listed above, your doctor may advise a course of an antidepressant medicine in the tricyclic group – for example, amitriptyline. Tricyclic antidepressants have other actions separate to their action on depression. They are used in a variety of painful conditions, including back pain.

Also, a national guideline , referenced below) recommends one or more of the following treatments should be considered. Each of these treatments has some evidence from research trials to suggest that they will help to ease symptoms in some people :

• Structured exercise programme. This means a programme of exercise supervised by a professional such as a physiotherapist. This is likely to be in a group setting. Exercises may include aerobic activity, movement instruction, muscle strengthening, posture control and stretching. It typically consists of up to eight supervised sessions over 8-12 weeks with encouragement to keep on doing the exercises at home between sessions.
• Manual therapy. Typically this includes several sessions of massage, spinal mobilisation and/or spinal manipulation. With spinal mobilisation the therapist moves the joints of the spine around in their normal movement range. In spinal manipulation, the therapist moves joints beyond the usual range of movement.
• A course of acupuncture. It is not clear how this may work.

When Should I See My Doctor

If you have back pain and have lost feeling or movement in your limbs or are having problems controlling your bowels or bladder, call triple 000 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

You should see your doctor or other health care professional for further advice if:

• your pain bothers you
• your back pain doesnt improve after a few weeks or worsens
• you have symptoms such as weight loss, tingling or numbness in the legs, or problems with bladder and/or bowel control
• you have osteoporosis

You should see your doctor as soon as possible, if you have a history of cancer, are prone to infection, or use intravenous drugs.

For most people, back pain will resolve in a few weeks with appropriate self-care. After 2 months, 9 out of 10 people will recover from back pain.

Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Back Pain From Lifting

Preventing Back Pain Tips For A Healthy Back

What we do day to day is very important to help keep us healthy and prevent back pain.

• Keep active regular exercise improves health and reduces recurrent back pain. Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate or intense physical activity a week.
• Sleep well.
• Manage your stress and anxiety levels.
• Dont smoke because nicotine decreases blood flow to your back. Back pain is more common and recovery is slower in smokers.
• If you have recurring back pain, the following may help:
• exercise regularly people who do regular exercise have less back pain than those who are inactive
• aim for a weight within your healthy range
• manage stress and mood
• ask your physiotherapist or health provider to explore with you the types of movements and activities that are best for you.

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.

You May Like: How To Help Your Back Pain

Stop Trying Passive Treatments

Passive treatments like heat, ice or ultrasound may feel good, but their effect is usually only temporary. Most research indicates that active self-care exercise and postural correction is an effective remedy for low back pain.

A visit to your physical therapist can help determine which exercises are best for your specific condition.

What Are The Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain In Women

Pain in the lower back area can be acute or chronic . Paying attention to all symptoms you experience at the time can make management significantly easier. Symptoms of lower back pain in females depend on the cause.

As shown above, causes of pain in this area are numerous. In most cases, an affected person experiences a combination of the following symptoms:

• Dull or aching pain: refers to the pain that remains in the low back area. Pain can be stinging, burning, or sharp and it is usually accompanied by muscle spasms, pain in pelvis and hips, and decreased range of motion
• Pain feels better when changing positions: patients usually discover that some positions only enhance the pain in lower back while other positions alleviate it
• Pain gets worse after prolonged sitting: this symptom occurs in most cases of low back pain because sitting puts pressure on discs in your spine
• Pain is worse after waking up: a vast majority of patients who experience lower back pain report the discomfort is enhanced the first thing in the morning. However, pain decreases after getting up and moving
• Pain traveling to butt, legs, and feet: in some instances the pain doesnt remain in low back area, but it travels through your buttons down the legs and feet i.e. you experience symptoms of sciatica

If your lower back pain is accompanied by the following symptoms, you should seek immediate care:

• Fever and chills
• Loss of bowel and bladder control
• Severe abdominal pain

• Reproductive organs

Recommended Reading: What Could Cause Severe Lower Back Pain

The Universal Guide To Lower Back Pain: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know Straight From The Experts

In This Article: Lower Back Anatomy | How Long Does Lower Back Pain Usually Last? | Common Causes | Other Causes | Home Remedies | Nonsurgical Treatments | Complementary, Alternative, and Emerging Treatments | Surgery | When Is Lower Back Pain an Emergency? | Lower Back Pain Prevention |

If youve ever had lower back pain stop you from doing what you want, youre not alone. Lower back pain is one of the most common medical problems in the world. It is a leading reason why people visit a doctor, affecting more than 80% of adults at some point in their lives. According to the Global Burden of Diseasea significant study published in the Lancet medical journallower back pain is also a leading cause of disability.

While severe lower back pain can cause worry, pain severity is not always an indication something is seriously wrong. Photo Source: Shutterstock.

You may not be able to prevent lower back pain, especially as you age and your back loses some strength and resilience. Fortunately, there are many ways you can get relief, no matter the cause of your back pain.

Emotional Effects Of Lower Back Pain

Back pain affects everyone differently. In some situations, back pain can be become chronic, which means it lasts a long time. Some emotional factors may increase the risk of back pain becoming chronic, including:

• believing that physical activity isn’t helpful or having lots of bed rest
• emotional problems such as feeling depressed, anxious or stressed
• a lack of social support from family and friends
• not wanting to play an active role in your treatment

Although you may think your pain is a warning sign to stop you doing certain activities, its important that you keep active to overcome it. If you have any questions about keeping active, talk to your physiotherapist or doctor. They can reassure you that keeping mobile and being positive about managing your back pain are the keys to helping you recover. Exercise will also help to prevent back pain in future.

You May Like: Can Lower Back Pain Cause Headaches

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.

Stretch #1 Knees To Chest

More than anything this stretch it to make sure you are in a position to move forward to more complex and intense movements. But it also allows an opportunity to get simple range of motion in the legs and pelvis to stretch the surrounding musculature.

Doing this exercise to fix lower back pain at home you will want to start with finding a comfortable place to lay down on your back.

Slowly bring your knees to your chest and grab the front of your knees with your hands pulling your legs closer to your body as able. You should feel a sensation in the glutes and hamstring as well as the lower back where you are experiencing pain.

Hold this stretch for 30 seconds, take a break, and then repeat to give your low back relief.

Don’t Miss: How To Fix A Tight Lower Back

Lumbar Flexion Rotation Stretch

The flexion rotation stretch is started by lying on one side. Usually, your painful side is down on the table. Straighten your bottom leg, and tuck your top leg behind your bottom knee.

Reach your top hand to your top shoulder blade, and rotate your spine so your top shoulder moves backwards toward the floor. Hold this position for a second or two, and then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 repetitions, and note any changes in your symptoms.

Still dealing with symptoms? You may need to try a lumbar flexion progression. Check out the final step in this program to learn how to get started on that.

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

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.

Also Check: Do You Get Back Pain With Breast Cancer