Have you been suffering and struggling with back pain? Maybe you’ve been dealing with it for a couple days or maybe it’s been going on for longer than that. Maybe it’s been on and off for months or more. And now you’re looking for some way that you can take care of the pain. Of course, if you go to the doctor they’re likely to either tell you that there’s nothing they can do or they’re going to give you pain medication and not everyone wants anything like that. So, what do you do? The best thing you can do is look for home remedies for how to relieve back pain.
Exercise
Exercising your back may not seem like a good way to get rid of your pain
but it’s actually one of the best things that you can do. It doesn’t need to be anything intense and actually, it shouldn’t be. Rather, you want to slow down and get a nice relaxing walk or do water exercises or even participate in yoga. Basically, the point is to do something that’s going to loosen up your muscles and that’s going to help your body to release endorphins. Those endorphins are going to make you feel better (at least a little) because they’re a natural happy chemical and a natural pain killer. Even better, regular exercise could prevent this type of thing from happening in the future, reducing your risk of back pain that’s caused by the muscles.
People who are super involved in exercise are definitely still capable of having muscle pain or any type of back pain. Exercise that involves a lot of physical activity or that is too strenuous could actually cause or exacerbate back pain. If you’re experiencing a lot of pain and you work out a lot or you’re doing intense workouts you could actually be causing yourself more problems. That’s why relaxed, slow and easy types of exercise are such a great way to go.
Arnica Cream
You can find arnica creams, gels and just about anything in pharmacies and even through most online retailers. Though there hasn’t been any science to back up how it performs or what it’s able to do in regards to back pain and other types of pain, it definitely has been touted as a miracle ‘drug.’ Arnica is actually a type of homeopathic remedy and it’s something you can put right on your skin like any other type of pain relief cream. Instead of only treating regular pain though, it’s actually used for things like swelling, minor injuries and bruises as well. Some people definitely swear by this one and it had good results in a test on those who suffered from chronic osteoarthritis pain, so it’s definitely something you should at least try out.
Ingestible Vitamins and Minerals
There are actually some vitamins, minerals, enzymes and more that many people have found to be successful in treating pain. For those looking at how to relieve back pain, they’re something to consider carefully. The first is bromelain, which actually comes from pineapples. You can take 500 milligrams up to 4 times per day and your body will apply the great benefits directly into the muscles. But you have to make sure you’re waiting an hour after you eat so the body has time to break down any food before the bromelain gets into your system. Once it’s there, it can reduce swelling, increase circulation and even encourage your body to absorb any of the byproducts that occur from inflammation.
Another option is called valerian. This one is actually an herb and even science knows a little bit about how this one works. In fact, they say that the most active ingredient in valerian is responsible for sedating a portion of the brain because of the way it interacts with the receptors. All you need to do is take 250 milligrams, four times a day, and you’ll get the benefits that you’re looking for here. Don’t worry about the sedation either because it’s really mild and should only provide you with a bit of relief from your pain and not that groggy feeling that everyone hates, like after surgery. Other supplements include fish oil, turmeric and MSM, which each help with inflammation.
Fire and Ice
Okay, we’re not really recommending you put fire on your back, but if you have pain from an injury or you’ve hurt the muscles in your back you can actually help relieve the pain with a treatment of heat and cold. The very first thing that you should do is put ice on the area where the pain is because this actually causes blood to rush in. That blood then brings in chemicals that are designed to help nurture and even relieve the pain. The best thing to do is use this method sporadically through the first 24 hours (or as long within that 24 hours as you need). You can apply the ice for 20 minutes and then should remove it for 40 to allow your body time to relax and restore your body temperature.
After 24 hours is when you should be using heat. Don’t use heat before that 24 hour mark but with heat you can get even more blood directly to the area that hurts and you can dilate your blood vessels. What that means is the blood is going to flow more easily (contrary to what’s happening with the cold) and it’s going to help ease out some of the pain and discomfort that might come from a strain in the muscle or even just tension in the back. You can use this method for longer than the ice, but you still shouldn’t use any kind of heating pad for more than an hour at a time and you should make sure that you keep it at a comfortable temperature. Don’t get it too hot or you could actually end up doing more harm than good.
Meditate
Did you know that just relaxing can actually be one of the best ways on how to heal back pain that you might be experiencing? It could be a pulled muscle or some type of injury, but that back pain could also be related to stress. Taking some time to meditate could actually reduce your pain and it could mean that you experience less pain overall. That means you may not experience back pain later on, or at least not as severely. Plus, it’s not just going to help you with back pain, it’s also going to help you with things like your sleeping habits, your anxiety levels and your blood pressure. Spoiler alert, those things could be leading to back pain too, so you’re definitely getting some great benefits going here.
You can choose to meditate on your own or you can do it with a group or in yoga or wherever you want. Maybe you want to just take a minute in the morning or at night to meditate or maybe you want to take a half hour or a full hour or any other amount of time to make sure that you’re really getting into meditation. Going at it for a longer period is going to give you a bit more benefits, but anything that can help you relax is going to be the best way for you.
Change Your Diet
No one really likes to think about this one, but changing your diet can actually be a great way to help relieve pain that you’re experiencing anywhere. That’s because things that are high in trans fats and refined sugars and definitely processed foods can be really bad for your body. We’re not just talking about the normal ways that you know they’re bad for your body (but we all find ourselves reaching for a double cheeseburger once in a while). These things actually contain inflammatory properties, which means that you could be experiencing more pain, or more severe pain, simply because you’re eating them. And you had no idea. Getting rid of even a little of these types of foods in your diet could help you relieve some of the pain and when you see how it’s working you’re not going to have a problem getting rid of even more.
Warm Bath
Just a warm bath might be great for how to relieve back pain and it could help to loosen up the muscles and relieve some of your tension. But if you add Epsom salts to the water you’re going to set yourself up for even more. The reason these help out so much is because they’re actually flakes of magnesium, which are great for reducing inflammation. Plus, they’re going to double down on the relaxation for your muscles that you’re getting from the warm water on its own. So, you get to relax in some nice, warm water, and you’re going to get double the opportunities to relieve your sore back … sounds like a win-win, right?
Massage
Taking a few minutes (or a half hour) to get a massage can definitely do wonders for your body, but it doesn’t have to be a professional massage. Just a partner or a friend or someone in your family massaging your back, and especially if they use some type of cream while they’re doing it, can help to loosen up some of those sore muscles and help you start feeling even better. Not to mention it’s just going to feel nice anyway. You’ll be surprised by all the benefits from the relief of some of your back pain to even reducing your stress, slowing your blood pressure and even slowing your heart rate.
Bonus: Chiropractic Care
If you’re looking for a way that can relieve some of your back pain you’re definitely going to want to take a look at chiropractic care. This is a completely non-medical (in the form of prescriptions) method of relieving your pain. It looks at adjusting your body to try and relieve some of the tension or the blocks that you have in your body.
A chiropractor is going to be great for a lot of people because they actually focus on the body itself and the way that it interacts with itself. They focus on how to make you feel better more naturally. Even better, their tactics have been known to work, and quite well too. In fact, you may notice benefits from a visit to the chiropractor immediately after the session. It may take time to feel 100% but if you’ve been feeling pretty bad even a little improvement is going to be a great start. Getting your back adjusted can be a great way to start your healing process and you can combine it with some of these other methods to really start seeing benefits in a more holistic way.
Seeing a physical therapist can be a very similar experience on how to heal back pain. They work on your body and making your body work better without the need for medications (or sometimes in combination with medications or other lifestyle changes like we’ve mentioned). You can actually get a lot of similar benefits between physical therapy and chiropractic care, though they’re looking at slightly different ways of doing it. Where a chiropractor adjusts the back itself (meaning the bones), a physical therapist helps you to relax the muscles throughout your body, or whatever area is hurting you.
There are plenty of things out there that you could be doing instead of taking medications for how to heal back pain. If you’re not interested in them, or if the pain hasn’t gotten to a place where you think you need them, check out each of these tips. One or more of them may work for you and you could find yourself free of your back pain before you know it. What do you have to lose by giving yourself some supplements, using a hot or cold pack or just taking a little bit of time to yourself in a warm bath? You’re definitely going to love the experience, and you could get your back working for you, not against you, again.