Beat Your Back Pain – Without Popping Painkillers

Sedentary desk jobs, the strain of lifting heavy children and the stresses of everyday leave meant of us struggling with back pain. This debilitating situation can really detract from your quality of life and impact on your ability to exercise and look after your health. But there are a few easy steps you can take to improve the situation.

Look at your sleeping situation

A lot of back pain is incurred when elements of our sleeping environment are incorrect. The pain can often lead to a bad night’s sleep, which in turn can make pain and inflammation during the day worse. So take the time to check that you have the correct mattress, try out different sleeping positions and try adding an extra pillow to help align your spine better.

Take gentle exercise

It may seem the last thing you want to do when back pain strikes is exercise, but a gentle work out can really help. Too much rest can actually decrease muscle strength and lead to worse pain, so look into a few gentle stretches, and some strength building exercises you can do. Even a gentle walk can get the blood pumping and loosen up tight and sore backs.

Review your shoes

Try looking into custom orthotics, or podiatrist- prescribed customer shoe inserts to see if they are suitable for you. They will help to realign your foot position and shift where you’re holding your weight, which can reduce stress on the back. The smallest of changes in the foot can lead to bad posture and back problems, yet most of us never connect the two. They are a great investment in your health and can be adjusted over time to suit changing circumstances.

Try out some yoga

There’s a lot of evidence to show that practicing yoga can be highly beneficial for those who suffer with persistent back pain. By building core strength, aligning our movements and building a greater range of motion, as well as loosening up tight and cramped muscles, yoga can be a key component of an ongoing approach to back pain management. There are lots of free beginners yoga sessions on line, or find some local classes to join.

Go for Aqua Therapy

Most of us don’t need an excuse to sit on the hot tub, but if you can access a facility with hydrotherapy, it could be a great way to deal with back pain. The water helps to alleviate the stress on the joints and encourages gentle stretching. Aiming water jets at sore muscles can help to ease pain in a natural way.

Try a TENS machine

They might be better associated with labour, but TENS machines have a lot to offer for back pain sufferers. They work by transmitting low-voltage electrical currents through electrodes that you attach to the skin with a conductive gel. They work by disrupting electrical signals that communicate pain in the brain, blocking it and reducing the impact. Combined with other pain management many find them highly effective.

Back pain doesn’t have to take over your life or leave you relying on painkillers. Take a few measures to actively improve and manage your pain and you could be leaping about in no time.

disclosure: Collaborative post

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