How to Reduce Lower Back Pain at Home If you’re struggling with lower back pain, you’re not alone. About 1 in 4 Americans deals with some level of back pain on a daily basis, and it’s a good bet that pretty much everyone will have back pain some time in their lives. If you’re dealing with an injury that has thrown your lower back into severe pain, you need to see a doctor. However, if you have mild and continuing back pain, there are ways you can help reduce your pain so that it’s more manageable.
Move Around Lower back pain can actually get worse if you lie down too much. Our spines are designed for movement: getting up and moving around can help your back heal, and even lower your risk for injuring it again. Keep doing the things you normally do around the house. As your pain level lowers, add in some mild aerobic exercises like walking or bicycling. Don’t overdo it, or you might risk re-injuring your back.
Do Stretches Many people get relief from back pain with yoga or other stretching routines. At the bare minimum, get up and stretch if you’ve been sitting down for 20 minutes or more. We often keep our bodies in the same positions for too long— switching things up can help keep our backs from getting sore.
Improve Your Ergonomics Hunching forward at your desk all day can really take its toll on your lower back. Get a chair that is ergonomically good for your back, and make sure your computer’s mouse isn’t too far out in front of you.
Use Correct Posture Many people don’t realize that the way they stand can be adding to their back pain. When you slump, you’re making your spine carry too much of your weight, but when you stand up straight your weight is more evenly spread out across your body’s muscles.
Lift with Your Legs When you stoop to pick something up, don’t bend at the back. Remember—bend at the knees, lift with your legs.
Ditch High Heels High heels may make you a few inches taller, but they’re putting too much pressure on your lower back. Lower your heals, and you’ll likely lower your back pain.
Ice It Ice can help to reduce inflammation right after you’ve injured your back. Chilling your back is crucial to speeding up your recovery. Once 48 hours has passed since your injury, you can switch to heating your back. If you heat your back too soon, it can increase inflammation, making things worth.
Work Out Your Back Muscles In order to prevent future back injuries, work out and strengthen your back muscles so they’re better equipped to carry your weight.
Take a Pain-Reliever An over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen, can help reduce your lower back pain in the short term.
When to call your doctor Call your doctor if:
You have severe back pain from an injury Your pain persists or gets worse There’s numbness in your legs, or you have trouble walking
If you’re searching for back pain treatment in Florham Park, NJ, set up an appointment with the back pain experts at Total Health today!