What to do about back pain? Whether you suffer from acute or persistent symptoms, you will rapidly get rid of your back pain with our advice!
It's no secret that Germans spend much too much time sitting. As a result, it's no surprise that back pain is one of the most common disorders in the United States, given that it's frequently caused by a lack of exercise these days. What can be done, though, about back pain?
What to do about back pain?
Back pain is usually treated based on the cause and whether it is acute or chronic. For acute back pain, this tip can help:
Step positioning
The so-called stepped position often helps against acute, severe pain. You lie down carefully on the floor or on a yoga mat, bend your legs, and place your calves horizontally on a chair, sofa, or similar. Your knees should be at a 90-degree angle and your lower back should be completely on the floor. Breathe deeply in and out and stay like this for about two to five minutes maximum. To stand up, roll onto your side and stand up over your side accordingly.
Why does this help?
Step positioning relieves acute back pain by relaxing the spine and taking pressure off the intervertebral discs. If the exercise is performed daily for a few days, it can help relieve tension and counteract a hollow back.
But: The stepped position is not a treatment for permanent pain! It is a protective posture that may even aggravate the cause of the pain. You should not use it for more than a few days without consulting a doctor.
The best tips against chronic and acute back pain.
However, there are other ways that acute back pain can be treated:
- Exercise/back training
While bed rest used to be the first line of treatment for chronic and acute back pain, doctors increasingly recommend exercise. At first, this may appear ludicrous; after all, you are in pain. The intervertebral discs, on the other hand, require movement in order to operate. Of course, this does not imply that we must jog through the park despite our backache. However, there is specific back training for back muscles.
- Occupational therapy
In occupational therapy, people learn how to cope with everyday life with back pain.
- Progressive muscle relaxation
In progressive muscle relaxation according to US physician Edmund Jacobsen, individual muscle groups from head to toe are tensed one after the other as an exercise. After a few seconds, the tension is released again and the relaxed state is felt for a while. The training is intended to make us more aware of the difference between tensing and relaxing the muscles - this also helps with back pain.
- Heat applications
Particularly in the case of mild back pain, many sufferers find heat beneficial, for example in the form of a heat patch or simply by applying a hot water bottle to the painful area. Tension can be relieved more easily in this way.
- Acupuncture
In traditional Chinese medicine, of which acupuncture is one of the methods, it is assumed that blockages in the life energy chi cause pain. Acupuncture can relieve discomfort when it is caused by tense muscles. However, its effect on chronic back pain is only partially proven.
- Painkillers
If the pain is severe, the doctor may prescribe medication that either has an anti-inflammatory effect or generally helps against the pain. They should only be taken according to a doctor's instructions - anti-inflammatories in particular can have undesirable side effects if used for a long time.
- Massage
A professional massage loosens blockages and tensions. Especially those who have to sit a lot in everyday life due to their job can do their back and neck some good with regular massages.
Why a healthy back also has to do with the psyche
A herniated disc, lumbago, irritation of the sciatic nerve, and tense muscles - used to be the common assumptions for acute back pain. It is now known that stressful life circumstances and the soul can also be behind them. Experts even suspect that stress, work intensification, pressure to perform, and self-optimization in our society are such a burden on us that back pain has increased continuously in recent years as a result. Doctors should therefore always check whether psychosomatic back pain is the problem.
Healthy living = healthy back?
In most cases, the sufferers are women. In all age groups, they have acute back pain more often than men. No wonder, after all - even if the opposite is often claimed - they react more sensitively to pain. It is, therefore, all the more important that we also pay attention to our own lifestyle and incorporate more exercise into our daily routine. In this way, low back pain can not only be alleviated, but we can also prevent it.
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