Back pain is a problem for many people. Many things in today’s culture, such as, sitting for too long or having poor posture, can contribute to back pain. If you suffer from back pain frequently and aren’t sure what to do, read on to find out some ways to relieve back pain.
Make sure you’re drinking enough water every day. With seventy percent of our bodies being water, it’s important that we keep hydrated. Water can keep your body loose and fluid rather than stiff. Staying hydrated will also keep your intervertebral disks functioning as shock absorbers to take a lot of the pressure off the rest of the body.
Learning to lift properly can save yourself a lot of back pain in the future. Learning to lift from the knees instead of just bending over to lift will greatly reduce the strain on your back. This will keep your back from being over exerted and help you keep your back from developing pain earlier.
To prevent hurting your back while working out, always warm up before and cool down after your workout. Many people only schedule enough time to do their actual workout. Nevertheless, asking your back to lift and strain without first stretching it out is a sure way to injure it. A couple of minutes for back stretching exercises are all it takes to transition safely in and out of your workout.
Apply an ice pack to the painful area. Despite its simplicity, an ice pack is one of the most effective methods for reducing back pain. Applying ice or a cold pack to the painful area reduces swelling and blood flow, which also reduces the pain. It can also help relieve stiffness.
It is important to know and understand whether your back pain is chronic or acute. Chronic back pain lasts for more than three months and is a continuous back pain usually from the result of an injury or illness. Acute back pain can also come from an injury and for other reasons and usually comes on fast and lasts for only a short period of time.
If you suffer from back pain and you smoke, you need to quit as soon as possible. One of the nasty side effects of smoking is the intake of nicotine. Nicotine reduces blood flow throughout your body, including to your spine, and that increases your risk of back pain.
An acupuncture session can be a great way to temporarily relieve back pain. Just remember that acupuncture is not a long-term solution, but it does provide great temporary relief. Don’t be afraid of the long needles they stick in your body, because by the end of the session you will be begging for more.
Try sleeping on your side and place a pillow between your knees to help relieve and prevent back pain. The pillow between your knees will help keep you spine straight while you are sleeping so you can wake up feeling refreshed instead of sore. Consider buying a body-sized pillow for this purpose.
Instead of going for a pricy replacement mattress that might cost hundreds of dollars, a lot of back pain sufferers find that a cheaper, temporary solution of buying an air mattress is more viable. Air mattresses are like sleeping on clouds, and while they’re not designed to hold up to permanent sleeping, they will hold you for a few nights until your back feels better.
As you read at the beginning of this article, back pain is a problem that many people face because of the way we live. Following these easy tips can help you to solve this common and debilitating problem in your life. Try some of these tips today to start feeling better!