Tobias had a long day. He stood for hours waiting to catch the bus. After waiting so long, Tobias stood in a poor posture. He heard a pop from his back twice as he bent to carry an iron at the workshop. On his way back, the bus stopped abruptly, and he almost fell over. As the day frowned at him, he glared back at the day. All these went on for two days.
On the third day, Tobias couldn’t stand from his bed. He had back pain.
It could’ve been a slipped disc. It could’ve been Tobias’s poor posture on the bus. Maybe he had a work- related injury or his sleeping posture for both nights. He was emotionally unstable and stressed. Whatever the case, Tobias had to take some days off work, reducing his activity and, most importantly, his productivity. Not exactly the type of situation one wants to find oneself, right?
At some point in our lives, you and I must have experienced pain in our backs. Now, for such conditions, many causes can trigger such feelings. It can come on suddenly, from a miscalculated step to a significant accident. It doesn’t end there; lifting heavy things for long periods contributes to lower back pain. Age also brings degenerative changes to the spine, while in some cases, medical conditions such as inflammatory arthritis, scoliosis, and osteoporosis greatly influence pain in the back. Are you stressed or emotionally tensed up? That can have a direct impact on your lower back pain, and that’s why finding out the benefit from Lymphatic drainage massage therapy can be really useful to help you feel better about different pains.
One sincere truth is that LBP does more harm than good. Besides being a significant cause of disability, it brings along a sharp reduction in productivity, affecting the individual, place of work, and economy in general. It can also affect your sleep, dampen your mood, and make you feel distressed and grumpy. There is the certainty of fear of intense pain, which may lead to social isolation. Lower back pain can be acute (lasting under six weeks), sub-acute (6–12 weeks), or chronic (over 12 weeks). Whatever the stage, it hurts, figuratively and literally.
As against the general notion that surgery is the best solution, natural methods also come off as available options to curb Lower Back Pain; surgery can be helpful for many persons, but it is usually thought of as a last option after all cards have been played. Natural methods help; natural methods heal.
Natural Cures for Your Lower Back
The truth is that natural remedies are often sidelined as irrelevant and not effective enough. I bet you rushed to the hospital immediately after you detected pain in your back. However, you and I fail to understand that the littlest things matter the most. Now, there are simple yet effective methods to combat one’s lower back pain and put a halt to it. Are you tired of the pain? Let's explore these options!
Posture Improvement
Mitch Hedberg states, “A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind.” Now, one could spend long hours sitting in an office chair, hunched over a computer and furiously tapping the keyboard for hours without taking a break. Or another slouches while standing. Or the most common, lifting heavy objects over your back for long hours. Be it working, standing, or sitting an incorrect posture makes one susceptible to long-term damage and pain.
Now, how do you correct a bad posture? You can do low-impact exercises daily to improve blood flow and keep your body active. Make sure you use a single firm support pillow when you sleep to prevent neck pain from developing. Be mindful of the heavy things you carry, for example, bags of books, heavy machinery, or shopping. While at work, avoid sitting in a hunched position for long periods, such as when using a laptop. Do well to move around at regular intervals to alter your body position. Do all these, and you will be okay.
Exercise and Stretching
While most people believe that exercising every day will improve their health and appearance, many are oblivious to the benefits physical activity can offer to improve lower back pain. To lessen the pain, one must be willing to engage in aerobic exercises such as swimming, cycling, fast walking, or even using an elliptical exerciser.
Trust me when I say it doesn’t end there. Stretching your lower back muscles, abdomen, pelvis, and thighs can significantly alleviate the pain in your lower back. Flexibility in these areas can eliminate the chances of injury to your back. Your posture, body weight, and lower back extension improve as you work on all these muscles. While there are good exercises for your lower back, others will worsen the pain. Activities like squatting or lifting heavy weights adversely affect the back. Exercises like running and jumping don’t make matters better either.
In all, aerobic exercising reduces/prevents lower back pain. As you focus part of your workout on the muscle groups that support your back, flee from exercises that’ll strain the back. Order Gently Used Professional Gym Equipment online that can help with your workouts.
Heat and Cold Therapies
Remember that one time you sprained your ankle? How did applying ice cubes on the affected area help reduce the swelling? How about that afternoon when you had a muscle pull and used some hot balm to massage your thighs, which eventually came down?
Applying heat and cold is a timeless approach for many health issues, even back pain. The effects of each treatment are different, and they perform their best in specific situations. Heat therapy boosts circulation and blood flow to a particular body area. Increasing the temperature on the affected part relaxes and increases muscle flexibility. On the other hand, Cold Therapy (ice packs, cold baths, etc.) constricts blood vessels, easing pain signals and alleviating inflammation. In all, heat relaxes the muscles and increases blood flow, while the latter reduces inflammation and subsides the flow of pain.
When applying heat therapy, you can focus on small areas of pain, like one stiff muscle. As for cold treatment, you can apply an ice pack wrapped in a towel or ice bath to the affected area. Be it major or minor treatment, knowing when to use cold therapy and heat therapy will significantly decrease the effectiveness of back pain.
Herbal Remedy
We often hear a lot about herbs. However, with the advent of science, the healing powers of herbs quietened. While it is effortless to dissuade herbs’ power, they effectively combat health challenges and maintain a vibrant lifestyle.
There is a well-known herb for back pain called the devil’s claw. Native to South Africa, it contains anti- inflammatory compounds called iridoid glycosides and harpagoside, a natural painkiller. Turmeric is often recommended for muscle or joint pain because its main active ingredient, curcumin, is a potent anti-inflammatory of the cells in our spinal discs, reducing back pain. Talk about a natural painkiller for chronic lower back, muscle, and joint pain, among others, and ginger comes into focus. Herbal remedies also come in tea form. All these healing ingredients suit those struggling with a sore back or neck.
Lifestyle Change
Ken Keyes Jr. once mentioned, “For things to change, we must first be willing to let go of our old ways.” In all ramifications, he is right that one must shed off habits that keep such discomfort around to defeat lower back pain.
For example, zero physical inactivity and poor diet contribute to obesity. Now, when you’re overweight or refuse to engage in physical activity, maintain poor dieting, smoke, or don’t correctly sleep well, what’s the assurance that lower back pain won’t plague you?
Self-care is vital to combat lower back pain. This care covers all aspects of body, mind, and soul. You must be physically active and maintain a healthy body mass to prevent pain episodes. It’s hard, but you have to quit smoking and optimize your mental well-being. Good sleep is worth more than gold: ensure you sleep correctly daily and maintain a proper posture. Can the importance of hydration be ever overemphasized?
With all these said and done, there’s every certainty of a healthy well-being and no lower back pain.
Conclusion
Before the manifestation of lower back pain, there is a preceding risk just setting the stage. There might be a chance for back pain if you have poor posture or you aren’t physically active, overweight, or you’re both. Is It that you had an accident or you have arthritis? Whatever the case, all these make you susceptible to lower back pain.
Nonetheless, the benefits of natural cures for lower back pain should be considered. Thirty minutes of yoga and meditation can soothe your mental health. Is it turmeric or the Devil’s Claw, which possesses anti-inflammatory properties? All it takes is a natural cure and the resolve to follow its application.
It may look too good to be true. An application may seem challenging. But nothing beats natural cures for lower back pain.
