Sudhir works as a Business analyst at an MNC in Pune, away from his family. His usual routine was driving to his office, sitting the whole day, eating takeaways, sleeping late, and doing no physical activity. Following the same routine made him prey to back problems, and he constantly complained of back pain. His mother visited him over the weekend and observed him suffer from back discomfort.
She sat down with him and told him how she had reduced her chronic back pain simply by making little modifications to her daily routine. She suggested that he cook at home with natural ingredients and fix his sleep cycle. She demonstrated some stretching movements and yoga asana to him and told him to move at least for 20 minutes a day. Sudhir, with time, started making similar changes in his routine and found himself feeling more energetic and healthy. His back pain seemed less frequent, and whenever he felt the pain, he used his mother’s remedies for pain treatment.
Apart from being one of the leading reasons for doctor’s visits, back pain is a growing silent pandemic that everyone around the globe is getting affected by irrespective of age, gender, and profession. This problem has affected everyone, factory workers, corporate employees, nurses, and the homemakers who work around the clock. It is widespread in adults today; around 23% suffer from the same, and at least 11% to 23% of them will experience back pain at least once in their lifetime. It is disheartening when you can’t do everyday things like sitting on the floor, bending over, or even standing for too long as it becomes a problem with any back ailment.
Though every second person today suffers from back pain, there can’t be one size that fits all types of pain. It can be radiating, stabbing, stinging, dull, burning, or searing pain. Sometimes the pain is so much that the muscles around the afflicted area may start hurting too. The pain can strike anywhere along the spine or nearby muscles, and its frequency and intensity might vary considerably. Back pain is chronic or acute, depending on the duration of the discomfort. It should last for at least a day and can extend up to a few weeks to be acute, and if the pain and discomfort persist over 12 weeks, we can call it chronic pain.
There are two significant kinds of pain that you may experience, one is mechanical, and the other is radicular pain. Mechanical pain originates in and around the spine and is generally caused by muscles, ligaments, joints, or bones. This pain usually confines the lower back, buttock, and upper leg area. Radicular pain primarily occurs if a spinal root nerve is inflamed or impinged. The sensation of this kind of pain is sharp and electric.
Before treating any ailment, one should know the root cause of the pain and discomfort.
There can be numerous reasons for back pain, more than you can count on your fingers: inflammation, pulled tendons and ligaments, herniated or slipped disc, bulged disc, muscle spasm, stress, pregnancy, wrong posture, or any injury. Despite so many causes, back pain can be relieved, as there are several remedies for back pain.
Top 7 remedies to Back pain.
Body movement
There is a common misconception about staying active in people suffering from back pain, but maintaining mobility will be very effective. As much as you don’t want to hear it while in pain, the first thing a doctor will recommend will be that you should keep moving.
Try to maintain your average level of mobility and activity during the day. A 30-minute brisk stroll around the block also counts. A sedentary lifestyle makes the muscle around the spine relatively weak.
Quality sleep
Along with a healthy amount of movement, one should also have a healthy amount of sleep and rest. Eight hours of sleep can lead to a better immune system, boosts mood, and improves productivity. A study has shown that people with a bad sleep cycle fall 55% more at risk of developing chronic back pain, back-related disability, or discomfort.
Posture
A good body posture relieves strain on your lower back. Different braces like tape, straps, or flexible bands can be used to assist in maintaining your spine in alignment. Maintain a centre position with your head above your pelvis. Avoid slouching your shoulders or cocking your chin forward.
Rest your arms firmly on the table or desk if you work in IT, sit in front of a screen, and keep your eyes level with the top of the screen. You can get out of your chair, stretch, and go for a stroll regularly.
Diet
Subtracting and adding a few foods and supplements to your regular diet can help combat back pain. Various food items have been proven to decrease (or increase) inflammation, which is a known cause of back pain. So, If you suffer from back issues, improving your diet may be a big game-changer.
Changing your diet to an anti-inflammatory diet helps to maintain a nutritious lifestyle. Include carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, cherries, berries, pomegranate, and watermelon. Incorporate basil, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, garlic, spinach, and nuts such as almonds and walnuts into your diet to maintain an anti-inflammatory diet.
Heat and Ice
Ice is more helpful when you suffer inflammation and swelling, and heating works for tight and stiff muscles. Using heat and ice on the afflicted area benefits the pain.
Applying ice to sore parts of your back regularly may help relieve pain and inflammation caused by an injury. Wrap a little cloth around the ice pack to avoid ice burns.
Turn to the heat after a few days. Put a warm pack or heating pad on your muscles to aid and relax them and promote blood flow to the afflicted area. To prevent tissue damage and burns, never sleep on a heating pad.
Stretching
Stretching works wonders if done safely and effectively. However, stretching can be done anytime and anywhere as it does not need any special equipment. An extension has a lot of health benefits; it reduces the risk of injuries, improves muscle health, increases the range of motion of joints, and improves the overall amount of physical activity. Stretching strengthens your muscles and abdominal core that support the back. Strong and flexible muscles both aid and prevent back pain.
Roll Towel
It is the best kind of lumbar support that you can create anytime and anywhere. All you need is a towel. A rolled-up towel can be a valuable aid for relieving back discomfort. Lie down and put it under your pelvic. This will allow your hips to relax over the towel, assisting in the release of tension in your lower back. You can adjust the roll to your comfort and change its size by taking a bigger or smaller towel or rolling the towel tighter or a little loose. A towel roll acts as lumbar support that enhances posture, relieves pain, and supports muscles.