Back pain is a common problem that can affect almost anyone regardless of age and gender. Surprisingly, it has been shown to be one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and one of the popular reasons for absenteeism in the workplace (Mayo Clinics).
Often times, backache has its way of interfering with a sufferer’s personal work and life. There are numerous things that could cause one to suffer backache, some of which include falls, wrong lifting of heavy items, diseases/illness (e.g kidney stone/kidney infection, arthritis), injuries etc.
That said, there are also simple and effective ways to help prevent as well as remedy possible episodes of back pains you might be experiencing. In this article, we briefly discuss a few of these treatment options and provide recommendations on measures to adopt to help ensure you maintain a healthy back.
First, there is posture. This may not be your first time of hearing this, but it needs to be said again and again.
Posture should be noted in sitting, standing, and sleeping. Start taking note of your posture at all times. If it is not straight, then start working on fixing it.
If you sleep in a position such as, with both hands under your pillow while you lay on your side, you can pinch a nerve in your neck if your shoulder of the arm that’s up starts to relax and leans in toward your head or neck. It would be better to lay your arm of your upper hand down on your leg while one hand is under your pillow.
Maintaining the right sleeping position is very important as failing to do this can really aggravate back ache.
The second thing on our list is the flexibility of your back.
What you want to do when you notice your back goes out a lot and you experience pinched nerves, is in getting your spine back into alignment and having it flexible.
If you are in pain at the present, put ice or heat on the spot until the pain seems to lessen.
Do NOT, under any circumstances exercise while any of your nerves are inflamed or swollen
The third step to a healthy back, which is very important, would be to strengthen your back and its surrounding muscle.
Typically, engaging in exercises that are centered on the back and abdominal areas help condition your muscles to work better in concert. Doing sit-ups is one way to help achieve that.
The fourth and last step in back health is to start a daily stretching routine.
You probably have seen cats and dogs stretch when they get up, try it for yourself! The key to back health is in keeping it actively flexible and strong, or well supported by the stomach and back muscles.
Although not exhaustive, the above are a few home remedies for back pain. It’s however important to note that each person is uniquely different in many areas. So never think what worked for someone else is going to work for you. You may have to look out closely to identify what really works for you and use that to create your own personal program.