Have you had back pain? You're not alone. 80% of Americans experience back pain at some point in their lives. In fact, worldwide the years lived with disability caused by low back pain has increased by 54% between 1990 and 2015.
A few weeks ago my Master Mind partner's back went out. He's also my patient. Under my care he's vastly improved and asked me to write a newsletter about how to keep going with back pain. Here are a few tips:
Go see a chiropractor. Research supports Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation to recover from back pain. Spinal manipulation is a safe and effective non-drug treatment for spine pain. It reduces pain (decreasing the need for medication in some cases), and rapidly advances physical therapy. Recently, the results of a clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open showed that chiropractic care combined with usual medical care for low back pain provides greater pain relief and a greater reduction in disability than medical care alone. The study, which featured 750 active-duty members of the military, is one of the largest comparative effectiveness trials between usual medical care and chiropractic care ever conducted.
Use Ice or heat. If you have a muscle spasm use moist heat over the area of pain. If you have inflammation use ice for 20 minutes on, one hour off, as often as possible for 3 days. After that alternate cold for 5 minutes, hot for 10 minutes, then cold again for 5 minutes.
Take OTC NSAID'S. OTC NSAID's such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed can help for up to 3 days, especially to help you sleep at night. After 3 days they interfere with the healing process causing the problem to become chronic and may damage your liver, kidneys and digestive tract.
Try nutritional supplements. If you don't tolerate NSAID's try nutritional supplements such as:
Turmeric
Cayenne
Fish oil
Vitamin C with bioflavonoids for inflammation
For spasm you might try relaxing herbs such as valerian or Kava
(All supplements available in my pain relief favorites category on my fullscript.com dispensary at a 10% discount with free shipping on orders over $50)
Exercise. As much as possible move around, gently stretch, and strengthen your core.Something as simple as pressing your back against your car seat and holding it there for 3-5seconds throughout your drive can increase your core strength allowing you to get out of pain more quickly.
Apply kinesiotape. You've probably seen athletes taped up on TV. Kinesiology taping relieves pain through different mechanism. Physically, the lifting action of the kinesiology tape relieves pressure on pain receptors directly under the skin, allowing for both immediate and lasting relief. Chronic pain can be improved via the sensory stimulation of other types of nerve fibers.
Take a load off. Get up and move around or exercise as often as possible ... but when you're hurting lay down or sit back in a high-back chair for 1-5 minutes to get weight bearing pressure off your injured parts
Wear a brace. You don't want to become dependent on a brace but especially in the initial phase of injury when its hard to move around a low back brace can give you the additional support you need to be more active while recovering.
Get BEMER Therapy. BEMER is an FDA registered wellness device that increases circulation and brings increased nutrients and oxygen to your cells. It also increases the removal of waste products. To repair, injured areas need to be cleaned and nourished in this way.
Everyone is different. These tips are not meant as a substitute for medical care. Sometimes pain is caused by serious life-threatening conditions and should not be ignored. Consult with your health care provider if your pain persists for more than 24 hours or continues to get worse.
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