Nearly 65 million Americans report experiencing back pain. Low back pain is nobody’s idea of fun. If only low back pain could be swept under the rug and ignored throughout the day. The reality is, if you are suffering from low back pain, it can be quite consuming, as it is a problem that takes over your ability to function at home and work.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can manage back pain and reduce its occurrence. In this article, we give you 5 things you can try to relieve back pain and go back to being you.
1. Exercise and Stretch
Regular exercise helps strengthen muscles and keep them flexible enough to support your spine properly. Low impact exercises such as walking, swimming, or stretching can help reduce tension in the muscles that cause lower back pain. Make sure not to overexert yourself during physical activities. It’s best if you start off slow and gradually increase intensity over time for maximum results without any further injury or strain on your body.
When done correctly, stretching helps relax tight muscles that are often responsible for causing back pain. It also increases blood flow throughout your body, which helps reduce inflammation and promote healing in affected areas such as strained ligaments or tendons in the spine area caused by overuse or injury. A physical therapist can recommend specific exercises and stretches that can help with back pain.
2. Fix Your Posture
Poor posture strains the different structures in the back, as there is an imbalance in the way load is dispersed along the spine. This can cause back pain and contribute to the worsening of back pain symptoms. So, stand straight, keep your shoulders back, and your chin up, and pull in your abdomen. Avoid leaning forward with your neck or slouching in your seat as you get some work done.
3. Apply An Ice Pack
Ice helps relieve pain and inflammation, and numbs pain, causing an anesthetic effect, which is good for short-term relief from back pain. Make sure to always wrap ice in a cloth before applying.
4. Check Your Alignment
Misalignment in the way you stand, walking, and run can cause back pain. This can be due to a mechanical issue in the legs or feet, improper posture or technique when standing, walking, or running, or unsupportive footwear. When your body weight is not distributed properly across your body’s structures, it can lead to more pressure being put on the back, which in turn leads to back pain. Fixing your alignment can do wonders in reducing pain throughout the body, including the back.
5. See an Orthopedic Specialist
An orthopedic doctor is the best expert on everything related to the bones and soft tissues of the body. They are highly trained in treating patients with neck and back pain. Examples of treatments that can be administered by an orthopedic doctor are steroid injections and nerve blocks. Corticosteroid injections relieve pain and inflammation quickly, while nerve blocks contain numbing agents that block pain signals from reaching the brain. Radiofrequency ablation is another option, which involves heating up the affected nerve and deactivating it from sending pain signals.
Seeing an orthopedic specialist for persistent back pain can give you long-term relief, because they will get to the root cause of the pain and offer treatments specifically designed to address your unique needs.
Orthopedic Specialist for Back Pain Treatment in Rochester Hills, Bad Axe, and Lapeer, Michigan
Dr. Bradley Ahlgren of Ahlgren Spine can assess your back pain problem and provide you with a range of treatment options for relieving your symptoms. From corticosteroid injections to radio frequency ablation, we offer the most cutting-edge of treatments for managing back pain.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Ahlgren, call our office today at (248) 215-8080, or use our convenient online request form.
