If you got up today with a sore back, you’re not alone. In fact, according to statistics, one in every five American adults feels back pain once a month.
However, not all kinds of back pain are the same. In some cases, your back might be hurting because of overexertion, or you may have just slept with a bad posture. On the other hand, back pain can also be the result of severe conditions like arthritis.
Back pain is a common problem with senior citizens, and even though the problem is so common, most people don’t know how to care for and treat back pain. Therefore, in today’s post, we have put together a brief guide that will help you in the treatment and prevention of back pain.
Why is your back hurting?
Backache in itself is not an actual disorder it can be caused due to several other problems, and if you are going to treat back pain, you need to understand why you’re experiencing it.
Firstly, back pain can be caused due to overexertion. This type of back pain is easily treatable, and if you take some rest, it usually goes away on its own. However, if you have pain in your back because of an injury, you need to consult a physician. Sometimes rest will be enough for the treatment, and other times, physical therapy can be beneficial so that the pain doesn’t bother you later on in life.
Secondly, back pain can be caused due to progressive and physical deterioration disorders like arthritis. For most older adults, osteoarthritis is unavoidable, it is just a part of aging, and there aren’t many ways to treat it. Moreover, lower back pain is one of the most common problems faced by arthritis patients.
However, back pain can be managed and avoided using several techniques, which we are going to discuss in this post.
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Pharmaceutical painkillers:
Over-the-counter or opioid analgesics are the most commonly used treatments for backaches and various other forms of pain. Drug development services assist pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in researching, developing, and testing new painkillers, also known as analgesics. Though they are useful in numbing the pain, for the time being, they can’t be considered a permanent solution, because they only numb the pain and don’t fix the problems causing it.
Moreover, they have tons of severe side effects that can be quite detrimental to our health. Still, there are various natural alternative pain management techniques that can be employed to counter and get relief from back pain. Some of these natural techniques are mentioned below.
Massage therapy:
Massage therapy has been used for the treatment of various issues for a very long time. Moreover, studies have also proved its effectiveness in the treatment of physical problems like pain and soreness. One thing that you can try for back pain is kinesitherapy.
Massage can improve your blood circulation, which means that more blood is pumped to your back muscles, and your healing is enhanced. Furthermore, massage therapy can also enhance the performance of your lymphatic system and immune system, which can also be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of back pain.
Targeted massage therapy, can help arthritis patients relax; therefore, invest in a good quality massage chair to keep in your home. You might be wondering, are there any side effects of massage chairs? Well, the short answer is no, but excessive use of anything can be harmful, therefore, use your massage chair in moderation; otherwise, it can increase your soreness instead of fixing your back pain.
Visiting a chiropractor:
A chiropractor is a medical specialist who deals with the biomechanical problems of the body. Consulting a chiropractor will help you identify the underlying issues that are causing your back to hurt. Moreover, chiropractors can adjust any muscles or bones that have shifted abnormally, and they can tell you several exercises that will strengthen the weak back muscles.
Therefore, make an appointment with a qualified chiropractor if you are experiencing any back pain.
Adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet:
One of the most common causes of joint pain is inflammation. Therefore, if you are experiencing pain in your lower back, you should add some anti-inflammatory foods to your diet. Here is a list of some foods that you should try out.
- Turmeric
- Leafy greens
- Almonds and walnuts
- Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel
- Olive oil
- Strawberries, blueberries and cherries
Moreover, it would help if you also aimed to improve your overall diet and eliminate unhealthy processed foods.
Use alternating ice and heat:
Another way to ease back pain at home is to apply ice and temperature directly on the affected area. By applying heat, the blood vessels are dilated, and the flow of blood is increased. This leads to more oxygen being supplied to the affected area, which helps in countering pain and eliminating muscle spasms.
On the other hand, ice works by decreasing inflammation. Therefore, for the best results, you should alternate between heat and cold every five minutes. This will help you counter your back pain, and improve your healing as well,
Consider getting a back brace:
For arthritis patients, treating back pain can be very difficult, and the constant pain can also make it difficult for them to move around and do their day to day errands. Therefore, apart from using all of the pain as mentioned above countering techniques, you should also consider getting a back brace.
These days you can get some fantastic, sleek and supportive braces that are made from stretchable materials and don’t have any metal rods like the old braces. If you wear these braces under your clothes, it is difficult even to tell that you are wearing one, and the support they give your back can help you counter pain and stay healthy.
To sum it all up. Back pain is a widespread problem. However, it can be caused due to various reasons, which dictate how it has to be treated. Back pain is also one of the most common problems for arthritis patients, and it is tough to manage, therefore, follow some of the steps mentioned above to counter back pain effectively. That’s all, and we hope that you found the post helpful and informative.
