Long-term back pain can get frustrating and unbearable for patients and attending doctors. Lower back pain is a common disease in youth, middle-aged, and senior citizens these days. Aching neck or sciatic nerve pain affecting your back, hip, and legs, chronic back pain can affect your overall health, work, and leisure time.
Unfortunately, 8 in 10 people suffer from back pain in their lives. Acute back pain can come on suddenly and can stretch from a few days to a few weeks. Getting a muscle strain on lifting a heavy object, an accident/injury, or joint inflammation are few conditions that can cause chronic back pain. Let us know the common causes of back pain and non-surgical treatments for a speedy and enhanced recovery.
Causes Of Back Pain
Although chronic back pain is age-related, certain drivers, like a prior injury, can also trigger back pain. Common causes include:
- Spinal cartilage thinning, known as arthritis and rheumatic diseases
- Spinal canal shrinkage can cause nerve pain
- Disc problems like bulging disk
- Unexplained muscle pain
While the attending doctor may try several diagnostic options, it’s challenging to find out the exact cause. Sometimes, doctors may recommend surgery to bring back pain relief, but the after-recovery stage is not smooth. Fortunately, there are some alternative home remedies to combat back pain and aches.
Nonsurgical Ways To Treat Back Pain
There are various at-home back pain remedies to combat your muscular or nerve-related back pain. Talk about them to your doctor before starting them.
1. Cannabidiol (CBD)
CBD is an emerging pain-relieving alternative to traditional treatments. It is one of the best-known cannabinoids derived from the cannabis plant for treating back pain. CBD may reduce back pain by reducing inflammation. It combats anxiety linked with acute back pain. It also improves sleep and relaxation.
Most people increasingly use hemp, cannabis, and cannabinoid products like CBD oil, topicals, capsules, and tinctures to manage chronic back pain. Click here to read more about Cannabis and CBD for back and neck pain management. You may vape while using cannabis for pain relief but do so with precautions. Share your interest in CBD with your doctor to avoid any clashes with prescription drugs. Check local laws before purchasing or using CBD oil for pain relief.
2. Physical Exercise And Yoga
An exercise is an effective approach to managing back pain. It focuses on consistent stretching and strengthening in most back treatment therapies. Physical therapists teach the patients sitting, standing, and movement postures for proper spine alignment and less back strain. They also teach aerobics and core strengthening exercises for back-strengthening.
Irrespective of the severity of your back pain, consider yoga to reduce your back pain. As per a 2017 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, patients suffering from chronic back pain who took part in a 12-week yoga practice were less likely to take pain medication. Exercises and yoga reduce muscle stiffness and eliminate discomfort. However, try to avoid toe-touch and leg lift exercises as they may add further stress to your spine. Pelvic tilts, bringing each knee to your chest in a sequence, wall-sit exercises may be useful.
3. Ice And Heat
Cold and/or hot therapy is an easy-to-implement remedy and an inexpensive option to relieve back pain. This topical application is beneficial as primary and parallel therapy in treating back pain. Applying hot and cold packs proves useful in reducing lower back pain from degenerated discs, lower back injury, muscle pull, or muscle soreness from exercise.
Always use ice packs first and then apply heat for chronic lower back pain. Wrap a heated blanket around your lower back. You may also use an adhesive wrap that sticks to your lower back and provides many hours of less intense heat. Use heat therapy before your sleep time if you have chronic back pain. Carry ice packs and heat patches while driving or for work. Include these treatments in your daily routine to stimulate and encourage healing.
4. Appropriate Footwear
Shoes can have a great impact on your spinal health and may be one of the best remedies for lower back pain. Improper footwear and bending the wrong way can be the biggest culprits to your spine. Arch support and cushioning can bring better alignment to your legs and back and help in pain management.
Consider wearing flat heels for all-day comfort. Shoes with good cushion support can reduce the impact on your body and back during walking or running. Explore orthotic insoles to maximize mobility and comfort and minimize back pain.
5. Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Refined sugar, processed foods, and trans fats may satisfy your cravings, but they are unhealthy and can increase your body’s inflammation. Higher levels of inflammation can trigger off certain types of chronic back pain.
An anti-inflammatory diet such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, dairy products, soybeans, tofu, leafy green vegetables, and salmon fish (with bones) is best to pursue to reduce chronic pain. Get enough calcium in your meals and vitamin D to relieve back pain. Look into optimum weight management to reduce the pressure on your spine and lessen back pain. Meals rich in anti-inflammatory foods are as effective in treating back pain as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin.
6. Acupuncture
Chinese traditional medicine practice called acupuncture is an alternative remedy to fight chronic pain and diseases. A trained practitioner inserts needles into specific body points to relieve pain. There is no surgical procedure involved, just the pricking feeling of needles. The acupuncture therapy varies from person to person and the severity of the pain.
Acupuncture practitioners may consider adding nerve stimulation to the treatment plan in which mild electrical pulses given to the nerves block pain signals. A steady schedule of acupuncture can bring immense relief from acute back pain.
Bottom Line
Stress relief methods like social support from family and friends also help in healing back pain. Visit licensed chiropractors to get the benefit of hand therapy for spinal massage. Bring about changes in your diet, fitness, and lifestyle to get better spinal health.
Links & References:
https://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/medication/cannabis-cbd-back-neck-pain-qa