Experiencing back pain is never a joy for anyone, especially when they got a busy day ahead. Apart from the discomfort, it’ll be challenging to get even the simplest everyday things done, such as getting up from the bed. With that, having to live without any back pain at all would surely be ideal.
There are various reasons why people experience back pain—sleeping position, injury, poor sitting position, lifting something extremely heavy, or other health-related concerns. As a person who experiences back pain, you might be looking for ways to make it through the day. That said, listed below are the top tips to relieve yourself of a painful back pain:
Get A Bean Bag
While it might look more like a fun chair to hop onto, a bean bag can help a person relieve back pain. A good indoor bean bag is full of fillings that contours to a person’s body as they sit on it. This helps promote proper support and body posture.
Ideally, a person should begin looking for the best beanbags for backaches as these can help alleviate any pain, as well as make a person feel comfortable as they sink into them. Just ensure that when purchasing bean bags, look for ones that are fully filled to ensure that you won’t sink into them, defeating their purpose.
Use Hot Or Cold Compress
One of the easiest and most effective ways to relieve back pain is using a hot or cold compress. However, a person must use them according to how they got the pain and how it feels on their body.
If a person is experiencing back pain right after an injury or a strain, applying a cold compress would help numb the pain and instantly reduce inflammation. A person can use an ice pack or a pack of frozen goods covered with a towel to prevent the possibility of frostbite. Additionally, a cold compress shouldn’t be staying on the person’s skin for more than 20 minutes as it could cause an ice burn.
Upset mature middle aged woman feels back pain massaging aching muscles, sad senior older lady suffers from low-back lumbar pain sitting in incorrect sedentary posture, backache radiculitis concept
Alternatively, if the person is experiencing stiff or painful muscles, applying a hot compress will help relax their body. Moreover, they should check the temperature first and see if it’s something they could handle. It’s important to keep the temperature warm enough to soothe their body, but not high enough to burn the skin.
Consider Changing Your Sleep Position
The way a person sleeps can also contribute to back pain. If you usually wake up with body aches and have trouble getting out of bed, changing your sleeping position could be a practical option.
To change into being a side sleeper, you should place a pillow between your knees to promote proper spinal alignment. However, if sleeping on the side is too uncomfortable to do even with a knee pillow, sleeping on the back would still be possible. Just ensure that you slide a pillow under your knees.
Overworked woman with back pain in office sitting on chair with bad posture
Apart from changing your sleeping position, you should also consider updating your pillow into something that can accommodate your body posture. The main goal is to promote proper spine alignment as you sleep. With an uneven spinal alignment, you can expect intense back pain every morning or even while you sleep. With that, look for pillows designed for specific sleep positions.
Do Some Light Stretching
Back pain may happen due to strains and sprains on the muscles. To relieve any tension, doing some light stretching would help relax the muscles, putting the body at ease. When performing some light stretching, try not to put your body in an uncomfortable and painful position. Stretch your body to the limit, but avoiding utterly extensive movements. This will help prevent possible injuries, which might lead to bigger problems.
To perform light stretching, a person may begin to do the following:
- Reach for the toes
- Cobra position
- Child’s pose
- Cat-cow pose
- Seated spinal twist
For maximum efficiency, it would be helpful if a person could hold the position for at least 30 seconds before switching to a different pose. Practicing some light yoga would also be beneficial.
Take A Pain Reliever
If no natural remedies seem to work for your body, you should consider taking pain medications. However, you need to be careful when taking a pain reliever, especially if you have an existing health concern. Thus, it would be best to consult with your doctor first as to the best and safest pain medications you can take.
Moreover, you must avoid drinking any pain reliever right away as soon as you feel any pain. It may condition your body to depend on the medication, which may damage your kidneys and other internal organs in the long run.
Conclusion
As a person who experiences back pain, relief is what you’re aiming for. While you could try plenty of home remedies, it would be best to consult with a doctor if the pain is intense or isn’t going away for days already. This will help ensure that the pain you’re experiencing isn’t a symptom of a major ailment.