Back pain is just that, a pain! 😥 It doesn’t only make everyday movements difficult; it can also be quite irritating if it’s persistent or occurs regularly. 💢
It may seem like all you can do to soothe your pain is to take pain medication 💊. But we’re here to tell you that there are other, more natural 🌿, remedies that you can turn to that may relieve your pain 🙌 and improve your overall quality of life 🌈.
Let’s look at some of these natural options more closely.
Exercise And Movement
It might feel like any form of movement 🚶️ is not the answer to the pain that you’re experiencing. In fact, you may want to move as little as possible due to the discomfort it causes. However, light movement can alleviate your pain. Exercise helps to loosen tense muscles and releases endorphins, the brain’s 🧠 natural painkiller.
The endorphins released when you exercise can block pain signals from registering in your brain. An added bonus is that they help alleviate ☺ stress, anxiety, and depression – these are all things that can worsen your back pain.
We’re not saying you have to hit the gym and pump iron 🏋️️ or run 🏃️ on a treadmill. Not only are we pretty sure this is the last thing you feel like doing, but such exercises may even aggravate the affected muscles and soft tissue. Instead, we recommend low-impact activities such as walking, yoga 🧘️, swimming 🏊️, or some light stretching.
Regular Stretching
Following on our point above, stretching 🧘♂️ can be a fantastic way to soothe a sore back. And the best part is that it doesn’t matter how flexible you are or what your usual activity level is, stretching is for everyone 🙌. You don’t have to get yourself twisted up in any complicated yoga poses either, the kinds of stretches that are good for your back are quite simple.
Tight hamstrings, for example, are a common contributor to lower back pain. You can easily stretch your hamstrings out by lying on your back and raising one leg and slowly (and gently) pulling it towards you.
Stretching regularly is an excellent way to prevent back pain as it helps to strengthen your core, which is the anchor for your spine.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Did you know that what you eat 🥙 can affect your pain levels? That’s right, there are certain foods that are high in anti-inflammatory properties and may help your body to better cope with inflamed muscles, tendons, and tissues.
Take turmeric, for example. This popular Asian spice, which contains curcumin, is packed with antioxidant, anti-arthritic, and anti-inflammatory goodness. You can add turmeric to your favourite dishes 🥘, or you can mix half a teaspoon of it with a glass of warm 🥛 milk. If you drink this interesting concoction before bed, you’re giving the anti-inflammatory process to work while you sleep.
Check out our list of 10 foods that can help fight inflammation.
Better Quality Sleep
We’ve spoken about this before, but sleep 😴 plays a massive role in back pain. Getting good quality sleep 💤 helps your body to heal and restore your body’s muscles and tissues. The amount of sleep you get also affects your ability to tolerate pain.
We know getting decent sleep can be hard if you’re experiencing back pain. It may be a good idea to investigate if the pillow and mattress you are sleeping on are the best option for your back, as both can be the cause of back pain.
Chiropractic Care
A highly effective and natural way to treat back pain is by going for chiropractic care. Using a variety of tried and tested, gentle 🤗 techniques, chiropractors can help treat your back pain as well as the cause.
Chiropractors look at the whole picture 🖼, they don’t just treat your spine. At Inspired Health, part of our consultation will be talking about your lifestyle, nutrition, and small changes you can make to relieve and prevent back pain.
If your back pain is (literally) holding you back from living your life, we hope that these ideas can help you cope and get you feeling like your normal self again. If you’d like to visit us for chiropractic care, you can contact us by hitting the button below.
