As many of us know all too well, back pain can completely disrupt our daily lives. Acute pain such as this can dramatically alter our emotional wellbeing, leading to additional problems such as depression, increased appetite, impaired cognitive functions, and so on.
In one of our earlier posts, we talked about ways in which you could be making your back pain worse; in this post, we intend to look at how to ease that pain in five easy steps. Some of these we briefly touched upon before, only this time around, we’re going to go into greater detail.
Add Extra Support
One of the main issues that plagues sufferers is being unable to feel rested when going to bed — no matter the type of pillow you use, you can’t get into a comfortable position. This is where extra support is needed to help spine alignment, and not just in the form of an orthopedic head pillow. Sufferers will benefit from laying on their side and placing a cushion in between their legs, at the knees, to help keep the spine neutral. Those who sleep on their backs can adapt this so that the cushion is wedged at the back of their knees instead.
Keep Moving
When you’re suffering from back pain, it can be all too easy to think that resting in bed is the best road to recovery. However, this is far from true. In fact, nowadays, most doctors suggest getting back on your feet as soon as possible by increasing your daily movement slowly. Don’t do anything too strenuous and instead opt for a light yoga routine and/or a brief swim at your local leisure centre.
Seek Professional Advice
If you’re struggling to manage your back pain on your own, it might be time to seek professional help. A lot of sufferers worry that treatment will be intensive or costly, but there’s actually plenty of back pain treatment options available to suit all sorts of budgets and lifestyles. The key is to make sure you investigate them before deciding if they’re beneficial or not.
Swap Your Shoes
Regardless of whether you resort to professional assistance or not, there’s no escaping that a good pair of shoes will work wonders on your back. Try to opt for supported insoles and flat heeled options, ideally with no greater than a one inch heel. That being said, don’t choose cheap, ballet style pumps as they will only worsen your back issues due to lacking decent structure and support.
Straighten Up
If you’re inclined to slouch a lot, be it on the sofa or at your desk, try to remind yourself to straighten your posture. There’s a number of helpful tools to ensure you maintain the correct posture, so if you have the money to spare, why not invest in lumbar support? If you can’t afford that, at least try to position your chair so that your knees are slightly higher than your hips when sitting.
