People experience back pain often in their lives however, it gets worrisome if it is constant. Your work conditions and looking down at your phones may affect the spine, but sometimes unfortunate injuries may occur as well.
For that, you need to refer to a chiropractor to get relief from your back pain. After devising your treatment plan, a chiropractor can also suggest tips to manage your back pain at home.
Use the following tips on a daily basis to get a significant difference in your pain. However, you will need first to visit a chiropractor to get chiropractic care.
1. Keep Exercising and Moving
People with lower back pain are not recommended bed rest. Instead, you should be moving to feel better.
A sedentary lifestyle creates more health problems than reducing them. Your joints remain healthy when you move them.
Begin with a brisk walk and slightly increase the intensity after your chiropractic treatment, per your chiropractor’s suggestion.
Add strength training exercises to the mix to build muscles around the joints. After recovery, exercise at least 150 minutes per week at fitness gyms.
Let your chiropractor know what your fitness plan is, and let them tweak the exercises accordingly.
2. Use Icing and Heating
Using ice packs and heat packs can combat pain and swelling. Apply it daily, once or several times, depending on your pain.
If you have had an injury in the last 42 hours, switching between icing and heating can help reduce the pain.
Use heat packs if you have spasms as soon as you get them. Pair that with anti-spasmodic medication.
If you do not have spasms, then go for ice. Use gentle movements to apply the ice pack to the affected area.
You can use both even if there is no injury but general pain. Icing may help with swelling and soreness.
3. Check Posture and Change Your Work Ergonomics
If your back pain results from your work posture, you need to make some vital changes.
Poor posture affects spine health, causing upper and lower back pain with a curvature in the spine.
Assess your workplace.
- Is your screen high enough that you are not tilting down to look at it?
- Are you taking enough breaks, or are you remaining in an awkward posture for hours?
Purchase a lumbar support for your chair or a stand for your laptop. Keep taking short breaks to stand and walk after every 30 minutes.
Put a reminder on your phone to check your posture regularly as well.
4. Avoid Twisting and Aggravating Activities
Anything that triggers and aggravates your pain should be reduced. If you have back pain, assess what you were doing differently yesterday and stop doing that now.
You should be wary of prolonged bending and sitting. People with backaches should avoid sitting and bending for long periods of time and move more often.
You should also beware of twisting. Avoid twisting the spine, especially during exercise.
Your back will instantly give you signs in the form of pain if you have twisted it.
In that case, do some stretching exercises such as yoga to relieve the back that is twisted or tight.
5. Assess Your Center of Balance
Whenever you gain weight, your center of balance shifts. This is especially true if you gain around your stomach.
Weight gain and backache are linked, so losing some pounds is important if you have gained them recently.
In the same vein, certain shoes like heels also push your weight forward, shifting your center of balance. Thus, you do not walk the normal way you would wearing heels.
Your entire posture and pelvis positioning changes. Replace high heels with flatter shoes and choose flats with proper support.
Not having proper support can also affect your gait and posture, so invest in choosing your shoes wisely to lower your back pain.
Go to Your Chiropractor
Before implementing all of these tips, you need treatment from a chiropractor, and you need to be consistent in your chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractors can treat problems in your joints, muscles, and nerves. They have a special focus on spinal conditions resulting from musculoskeletal problems.
They can read X-rays and conduct other exams to diagnose your problem, look into its care, and refer you to another doctor if needed.
Revisit the Chiropractor
You will need to visit your chiropractor to heal properly regularly. Chiropractic care is not a one-time fix.
It is a consistent treatment that requires serious attention.
Keep working on your posture, exercise, and weight. Meanwhile, schedule visits with your chiropractor as well. They will look into repositioning your spine and checking your neck and hips because they are all connected.
They will perform a painless, non-invasive procedure and give more beneficial advice beyond these tips to deal with back pain. Tennessee residents can book an appointment with a chiropractor at this site.
Good luck healing!