There is nothing more debilitating than back pains caused by hours of sitting at your office desk, poor sleep postures, injuries, regular and heavy lifting and so on. Sometimes you get some relief with massage, but most of the times people reach for some pills and drugs they hope will work. Before self-medicating, you should try a few home remedies to ease your pain. Of course, if the problem persists, you should definitely go see your doctor.
If you are lucky enough to get your hands on inversion table, then get ready to say goodbye to stinging back pains for good. As a matter of fact, its key benefit is eliminating the need to have back pain surgery. The inversion table also helps repair herniated discs, improve your lung function, and reduce headaches caused by back pain.
Until then, however, let’s see six other ways to manage your pain at home!
1. Rubs and Essential Oils
There are plenty of pain ointments on shelves and some work better than others depending on your type of back pain. While rubs such as Icy Hot, Tiger Balm or Biofreeze have gained some popularity, you can try making your own ointment out of natural essential oils. Some of the best anti-inflammatory ones are ginger, peppermint and eucalyptus oils, but you can also include rosemary and turmeric. Massage your aching back areas with such oils at least three times a week.
2. Yoga
Yoga is probably the fastest way to achieve what really matters when it comes to back pain: correct healthy body posture and muscle work that is both relaxing and strengthening. Yoga is recommended for sciatic nerve pain relief because stretching and contracting the spine and muscles alleviate the pain and prevent it from occurring again. Yoga is recommended for a wide variety of health conditions and, if practiced regularly, it helps with weight control, sleep disturbances, anxiety relief, and overall body and mind fitness. The best part of Yoga is that you only need a mat, a tutorial and a portion of your living room floor to get your routines. You can start with poses that trigger back pain relief and progressively advance to others that strengthen your entire body.
3. Epsom Salt Baths
Epsom salt is a time-honored home remedy that is highly recommended for back pain. Easy to find and affordable, Epsom salt is known for its benefits as a muscle relaxant. Get yourself a nice warm tub and throw in two cups of Epsom salt. If you want to relax even more, add a few drops of lavender or rosemary essential oil. This salt is recommended for alleviating arthritis symptoms, fibromyalgia, post-gym sore muscles, bruises and sprains, tired and swollen feet and skin conditions. A side benefit of the salt is that it helps you flush away the toxins and heavy metals accumulated at your skin cells’ levels while improving blood flow and cardiovascular functioning.
4. Control Your Sleep Postures
How many times did you wake up in the morning feeling stiff and unable to move? How long does it take you to breathe and stretch through the morning back pain in order to become a functional human being? More often than not, people sleep in bad positions leading to back pains, sleep restlessness, headaches, limb numbness, and so on. Getting a better quality of sleep and alleviating pain can start with correcting your sleep postures.
• It is best to sleep on your back and place a small pillow under your knees to keep the natural curve of your spine. An ergonomic pillow might also do wonders.
• If you sleep on one side put a pillow in between your legs you draw slightly towards to your chest in a fetal position.
• If you sleep on your belly (while it is not recommended to those with back pains), put a pillow under your lower abdomen and pelvis to keep the natural curve of your spine. It is recommended to sleep without a pillow in this case but if you can’t, try an ergonomic one.
5. Meditation
It may seem like a very long way to take to alleviate back pain, but meditation is one of the best ways to achieve relaxation and boost your endorphin levels. Endorphins are hormones made naturally into our bodies and, besides giving us a feel of complete happiness, they are as strong pain relievers as any drug you will find on the shelf. Boosting your endorphins through meditation is not hard if you learn how to meditate correctly.
The connection between back pain, endorphins and meditation is easier to understand if we learn that most common chronic back pains are associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. If you learn how to meditate correctly, you can lower the negative impact of these conditions onto your body, thus alleviating pain. Meditation is used as a home remedy for other issues and is considered an important lifestyle change with long-term benefits for your mind and body.
6. A Few Dietary Changes
The chronic inflammation causing back pain is usually maintained by your diet. Sugar, saturated fats and trans-fats they all increase inflammation in our bodies. Decreasing your intake of sugary foods and drinks and the consumption of unhealthy fats leads to the reduction of the inflammation with general positive effects on your overall health.
Also try to add to your diet fish rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium (herring, salmon, halibut, krill and mackerel) to reduce inflammation as well. Such fish have plenty of health benefits as well on your overall state of well-being.
How do you manage your back pain at home? Do you know other home remedies to alleviate the debilitating ache?
