Treating Low Back Pain
Low back pain is one of the most common medical complications, with up to 31 million people believed to suffer from it at any given moment. If you experience chronic low back pain, you understand all too well the challenges and limitations it can cause.
But there is no reason you have to just go on living with those limitations. Read on to discover some lifestyle choices and medical treatments that can help relieve low back pain so you can enjoy a more active and fulfilling life.
Exercise your lower back
Though it may sound counterintuitive, maintaining an active lifestyle is one of the most important things you can do to reduce low back pain. As long as you are careful and understand your limits, light exercise can be very beneficial in the fight against back pain.
Strengthening
Your back, in tandem with your legs and core, make up the central support system for your whole body. Exercising with light weights or even just your body weight promotes stronger muscles. Strong back, leg, and core muscles help support and stabilize your spine, reducing the chance of developing lower back pain.
Stretching
Stretching regularly helps relieve tension in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support your spine. Well-stretched muscles and tissues are less prone to injury and promote better joint mobility, which reduces the odds of a strain that could cause low back pain. Learn more about the importance of stretching.
Aerobics
Aerobic exercise can help prevent back pain by increasing blood flow. This improved circulation delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the spine, which improves function and mobility while reducing the chances of future pain flareups.
It is recommended that you speak with your physician before starting an exercise program.
Eat a nutritious diet
Your diet can play a significant role in how you experience lower back pain. One of the most common causes of back pain is inflammation, the rapid swelling caused by your body’s immune response to injury or the detection of foreign material. Inflammation can aggravate nerves and other surrounding tissues, causing pain. Many different types of food are known to accelerate inflammation while other can help reduce it.
Eat your fruits and veggies
Most fruits and vegetables have shown to be excellent anti-inflammation agents. Dark green vegetables like kale, broccoli, and spinach top the list of best foods for reducing inflammation, but you can also mix in a delicious combination of carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, cherries, berries, and pomegranate.
For a complete meal, you can add in foods such as salmon, turkey, chicken, beans, almonds, walnuts. And don’t forget to season your meal with anti-inflammatory herbs like basil, cinnamon, garlic, onion, rosemary, and oregano. Lastly, feel free to treat yourself with a delightful glass of non-inflammatory red wine.
Limit unhealthy foods
This is an important part of any diet and it is no different when fighting chronic low back pain. The usual suspects of white bread, white pasta, sugary snacks, soft drinks, fried foods, and salty snacks can all cause inflammation. If you are able to cut these foods out of your diet altogether, more power to you! But at the very least, try to enjoy them in moderation.
Don’t smoke
It is no secret that smoking has negative effects on your overall health. But smokers are also at higher risk of developing low back pain and associated complications. Tobacco inhibits blood flow, which in turn impairs the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your bones and tissues, including those in the spine. This leaves your spine more vulnerable to damage and degeneration. To compound the problem, smoking has shown to inhibit the immune system and cause slower healing. As a result, chronic pain conditions become more difficult to overcome.
If you currently smoke, consider taking steps toward quitting. It will go a long way toward managing or even preventing chronic back pain issues and improve your overall health and wellness.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Getting proper rest is vital to managing lower back pain. Research has shown that lack of sleep inhibits the brain’s painkilling response, which increases pain sensitivity. It does not take very large reduction in the amount of sleep you get to have a significant impact on your back pain levels the following day.
So be sure you take steps to get adequate sleep in order to reduce low back pain.
- Choose a mattress and pillow that are comfortable and keep your head and spine aligned
- Make sure your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature
- Give yourself three to four hours between your last meal of the day and bedtime, so you have time to digest
- Listen to relaxing music
- If you still have trouble falling asleep, talk to your healthcare provider about taking sleep-enhancing supplements
Stand up Straight
By practicing good posture, you are promoting a strong and healthy spine. When you slouch or stoop, your muscles and ligaments strain to keep you balanced which can lead to low back pain.
Make an extra effort to stand tall and straight while standing or walking. If you work in an office setting or any other situation where you spend a lot of time sitting, investigate ergonomic chair options or a standing desk setup.
Stay hydrated
Drinking more water throughout your day is a simple, preventative, and very important step to protect against developing back pain and reduce existing back pain. The human body is up to 60% water, and some of your most vital organs, like the brain, heart, and lungs, are all well over 70% water.
Low back pain and hydration
The cushiony, shock-absorbing discs between your vertebrae are filled with a fluid that has a high water content. Your body’s joints are also cushioned by synovial fluid, a thick substance with high water content that protects your bones from friction. If you do not consume an adequate amount of water, you start to become dehydrated. When this happens, your body goes into survival mode and reroutes that all important water to your vital organs. But this leaves your discs and joints high and dry. This sudden lack of fluid can reduce the effectiveness of your discs and synovial fluid, resulting in pain, stiffness, soreness, and occasionally physical deformity.
Drink Up
The average adult human loses two to three liters of water a day through basic bodily functions. So, make sure you are recouping all that lost fluid by drinking plenty of water every day. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:
- About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
- About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women.
Seek Treatment for Your Low Back Pain
Even if you were to follow all of the above steps to the letter, low back pain could still develop. But that still doesn’t mean you have to settle for it. Get up and get help. Your nearest pain management clinic can offer a variety of treatment options to relieve your lower back pain.
Some of the most common treatments for low back pain include:
- Trigger point injections
- Epidural steroid injections
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Vertiflex® procedure
- Intracept® procedure
- Intrathecal pump
- Spinal cord stimulation
Do not delay in getting treatment for your low back pain. The longer you wait, the higher the likelihood that something could happen to further aggravate the problem and make treatment more difficult. If you have been in pain for three months or more and have been unable to find relief on your own, schedule an evaluation with your local pain management clinic.
Low Back Pain Treatment at Twin Cities Pain Clinic
Low back pain can is a tough thing to live with. It can range from an annoying nuisance to being utterly debilitating. But if you follow these tips, you can single-handedly improve your chances of reducing or even preventing low back pain from getting in the way of your life.
If you still end up with low back pain, talk to the experts at Twin Cities Pain Clinic. We offer a wide range of the most advanced and effective options for treating back pain and are standing by to help start you on the road back to a renewed life.
Call: (952) 841-2345
DISCLAIMER
The contents of this article are intended for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with a physician or other qualified healthcare provider before engaging in any action or decision-making based on the content of this article. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment because of the content of this article or any other content on the Twin Cities Pain Clinic website. Reliance on any information conveyed on the Twin Cities Pain Clinic website without direct consultation with a healthcare professional is solely at your own risk.
Sources
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- Appold, Karen. “What You Eat May Help Beat Back Pain.” EverydayHealth.com, 20 Dec. 2016, www.everydayhealth.com/news/can-good-diet-fight-back-pain/.
- “Back Pain Facts and Statistics.” Acatoday.org, 2019, www.acatoday.org/Patients/What-is-Chiropractic/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics.
- “Chronic Back Pain.” Health Policy Institute, hpi.georgetown.edu/backpain/.
- “Lower Back Stretches: 7 Essential Moves for Pain Relief & Strength.” Healthline, 12 Feb. 2019, www.healthline.com/health/lower-back-stretches.
- MD, Jonas Gopez. “Stretching for Back Pain Relief.” Spine-Health, www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/stretching-back-pain-relief.
- “Why Sleep Is the Best Painkiller.” Www.medicalnewstoday.com, 29 Jan. 2019, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324316.
- “Why Smoking Will Worsen Your Chronic Pain.” Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic, 23 Aug. 2017, health.clevelandclinic.org/why-smoking-will-worsen-your-chronic-pain/.
