5 Tried and Tested Home Remedies for Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can be a result of strain from cleaning the house, an old sports injury, strenuous lifting from working in the yard, or even from simply sitting in your office chair all day.
Though it’s always advisable that you have your doctor check it out for any signs of anything serious, there are tried and tested home remedies for lower back pain that you can do.
Without further ado, here are some tips you can try out for yourself:
1. Stretch and strengthen
Strengthening your muscles and joints play a critical role in supporting your lower spine. Exercising can also improve the overall health of your spine and increase flexibility, too.
In turn, this can prevent and reduce your back pain as well as make you less prone to injuries. This is because minimal movement and a sedentary lifestyle make your bones and spine weak.
Throughout the course of a normal day, these muscles don’t get a workout. Hence, you’ll have to purposefully take time out of your routine to care for your body and exercise.
Strength-building exercises include yoga, stretching, pilates, and so on. If you’re not comfortable doing these on your own, you can hire a personal trainer to ensure you’re doing the right movements.
Be sure to incorporate flexibility exercises, aerobic activity, and strength training to speed up the healing process and prevent lower back pain from returning.
2. Practice good posture
Whether you’re sitting, standing, or simply laying in bed, there’s always a proper posture for every activity.
Just like how there are proper forms when working out, there are also ways to ergonomically practice good posture. This is especially true when it comes to workspaces.
Particularly, you can invest in an ergonomic office chair, keep your computer at eye level, have your bottom firmly seated on your chair, and so on.
When standing, try to push your chest out, keep your shoulders relaxed, and your chin up. By consciously practicing this, you’ll get so used to it that you won’t even think twice about it.
3. Maintain a healthy weight and diet
The heavier you are, the more strain you put on your lower back. So, if you’re not at your body’s ideal weight, you’re going to have to shed a few pounds.
You can work with your doctor or a personal trainer to formulate a healthy and sustainable health program that’s best for your situation. This can include a workout and meal plan, too.
There are a ton of ready-to-eat healthy meal subscription boxes that you can subscribe to and have delivered. You can also try your hand at cooking yourself through cookbooks, learning online, or joining a cooking class.
Keep in mind that results won’t be instantaneous. It’ll be hard to get used to it at first, but once you start seeing your results, you’ll be even more motivated to keep going.
4. Try at-home therapies
If you can’t manage the pain yourself, you can call on professionals to give you an extra hand. There are certain therapies that have at-home services for an additional fee.
You can call a reputable chiropractor, masseuse, physiotherapist, and so on.
However, keep in mind that there are varied conclusions on the effectiveness of this. Even so, it’s found that they work best when done with other home remedies.
5. Apply ice, heat, or creams
If the injury just happened recently, you should put ice to alleviate the pain and reduce swelling. You can wrap ice in cloth or use a gel pad, but make sure to have at least one layer of cloth separating your skin and the ice.
If more than two days have passed since the onset of your back pain, switch to a hot compress. This works better at soothing and relaxing your tense and tight muscles.
You can also rub on some medicated creams and salves on the treatment area. These may help relieve soreness and pain.
However, remember that these treatments will only be helpful for the first week. If the pain persists, consult your doctor.
There you have our tried and tested home remedies for back pain! We hope you try these out for yourself to get the relief that you deserve.
If you need professional medical intervention, we have some recommendations for you to consider: