Back pain is one of the most common health conditions in the world. Nearly one-fourth of every American is suffering from lower back pain. Individuals from the age group of 25 to 60 are more likely to experience this kind of pain. Almost every person experiences lower back pain at some point in their lives.
Back pain that lasts less than six weeks (Short term)is termed as Acute back pain, which may be caused by heavy lifting,bending awkwardly or by a fall, etc. But the pain that lasts more than 3 months (long term)is the chronic back pain, which is less common when compared to acute pain.
Here I give you some of the home remedies to be followed to recover from back pain at home.
Types of back pain
Back pain is most common in the lower back, although it can be sensed anywhere right from your neck till your hips.
- Neck Pain
- Upper and Middle back pain
- Lower back pain
- Sciatica (Buttocks and Legs)
Here are the common causes of the lower back pain
Sports activities and accidents are the most common causes of lower back pain. But occasionally, even simple movements or activities too can trigger back ache. The common causes linked to lower back pain include:
- Bad posture while standing or sitting.
- Hunching in chairs.
- Lifting incorrectly.
- Pushing, pulling or carrying heavy objects
- Overstretching
- Sitting or driving in a fixed position for a long time.
- Overusing the muscles –for example, during exercise or sports activities.
- Bending or twisting awkwardly.
- Traveling for long hours may cause a backache. But this condition does not need any medical treatment. You can automatically recover from a backache caused by travelling in one or two days.
- Heavy Workouts or exercises can sometimes cause a back ache due to the continuous muscular movements.
- Frozen shoulder– Pain caused due to inflammation in the shoulder.
- Aging is one of the most common cause of a backache.
- Obesity – According to the Journal of American Epidemiology, the overweight, and the obese people had a higher occurrence of the lower back ache than the healthy people.
Rare causes of back pain may also include:
Ligament or Muscle strain
Any heavy lifting or a sudden stubborn movement may strain back muscles and ligaments. Constant strain on your back may cause painful muscle spasms. But this kind of muscle pain is acute and this may be cured without any medicine. Pain relievers can help you out in this situation.
Ruptured or Bulging disks
Your disks act as cushions between the bones in your spinal cord. The very soft material inside a disk can rupture or bulge and press on a nerve. This kind of lower back ache is often found when you undergo spine X-rays.
Arthritis
Sometimes Osteoarthritis also can affect the lower back. Arthritis in the spine can lead to a reduction of the space around the spinal cord, an illness called spinal stenosis.
Skeletal irregularities
If your spine curves abnormally, lower back ache can occur. A condition called Scoliosis, in which your spine curves to one side of your body, may lead to lower back ache.
Symptoms of Lower back pain may include:
• Muscle pain
• Pain that exudes down your leg.
• Shooting or acute pain.
• Limited range of motion of the back Muscles.
• Dull ache
• Muscle spasm
• Sharp pain
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Pulsating pain
• Tenderness
• Rash
• Pain with movement of the spine
Time to consult a Healthcare Professional
The most back pain gradually recovers with home treatment, usually within two or three weeks. If not, consult your doctor.
Consult with your doctor immediately if your back pain,
- Is very severe and doesn’t recover with rest.
- Pain that exudes down your leg, particularly if the pain spreads below the knee.
- Causes tingling, weakness or numbness in one or both legs.
- Is accompanied by mysterious weight loss.
- If you have a history of osteoporosis, steroid use, cancer, drug or alcohol abuse.
How to Prevent Back Pain ?
You have a question that, is there any way to prevent back pain before it occurs?
The answer is , yes!!!
Here are the simple ways to prevent back ache.
Lose weight
Overweight or Obesity is one of the major cause for most of the health problems. Overweight puts excess stress on your spinal cord and thereby increases back ache. So keep watching your weight always.
You can reduce your weight by following these 10 weight loss tips. And also I recommend that you should burn your excess fat.
Good posture
Good posture keeps the spinal cord in the normal shape. Good posture is important to maintain good body shape and relieve from most pains.
Sleeping position
- Avoid poor sleeping positions to get rid of the neck, shoulder and back pains.
Sitting position
- Use lumbar support chairs
- Place a pillow or rolled towel at your lower back.
Avoid sudden movements
Sudden movements may cause muscle stress. Avoid it to prevent strains.
Reduce Stress
Stress is an important factor for all kinds of health problems. You can go for some relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, melody songs, etc to reduce your stress
Regular exercises
If your back pain is caused by overweight, then you should do regular exercises.
You can do anyone of the following methods regularly.
- Walking
- Running
- Swimming
- Stretching
- Simple workouts
Yoga
Yoga has several stretching methods, breathing exercises and relaxing methods to heal you from a backache.
Yoga improves your muscles flexibility
According to the research paper published in the JAMA Internal Medicine [1], those who perform yoga and stretching can get two times faster relief from pain than others.
Quit smoking
Smoking not only damages the lungs but also causes back pain.
A study in The American Journal of Medicine [2],proves that the smokers are more likely to get back pain than those who never have the habit of smoking.
In another study published in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery [3],it is proved that those who quit smoking feel better reductions in pain than the current smokers.
So here I strongly recommend you to quit smoking to prevent back pain.
Avoid High Heels
Avoid high heels. It can disturb your center of gravity and strain your back with unbalanced weight.
Hope you follow these above methods to prevent back pain. If you have back pain, then follow these home remedies to get recover from it easily.
References:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279296/
- http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343%2809%2900713-X/abstract
- http://jbjs.org/content/94/23/2161
