Back pain is seriously the worst. And for a while, I never knew just how bad it was. I had always heard my mother complain about how bad her back pain and I could not fathom it being so bad. And then I misused a piece of exercise equipment and screwed up my back for a couple days.
And boy was that ever painful. I could hardly even get up and do simple movements without feeling sharp pain in my lower back. It was horrible! My entire daily routine suffered and I had to make space for periods of time to just lay down.
It was that serious pain that caused me to do some research to find some easy ways to get rid of the pain if it ever decides to come back. I think I compiled a pretty good list so I would like to share it with you today.
Without further ado, let’s dive into 7 natural treatments & remedies to reduce & eliminate back pain:
1. Watch Your Weight
This one does not apply to me, but I know a few people in my own life that it would apply to. And it is a bit of a no-brainer. When you are carrying around more weight than you should, you are putting more pressure on your muscles and tendons that are responsible for hauling around all that weight. Too much of this constant pressure can lead to irritation all over the body, but no area gets it worse than your back.
If you take the effort to count your calories and control how much food you consume, you will be less likely to gain weight. On top of that, you might want to start exercising more in tandem with a shift to a healthier diet.
Obviously don’t strenuously work out as that will just amplify the pain. Having a healthy weight puts far less pressure on those muscles and tendons and thus, will alleviate your back pain. On top of that, having a healthy weight contributes to overall good health and keeps away a lot of crippling conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
2. Take a Painkiller
Aleve was my best friend during my ordeal with severe back pain. I would follow the instructions on the box and take the instructed dose every few hours and it would give me brief periods of relief from the pain.
Painkillers like Aleve and ibuprofen-based drugs are very good at reducing back pain because they work to decrease inflammation in areas where there is inflammation. Make sure you are following the instructions on the packaging, however, and if you are experiencing any of the side effects, you should cease usage of the drug.
3. Try Heat and Cold Therapy
You ever see commercials for products like the IcyHot patch? Now is the time to give a product like that a try. Although, you really do not even have to shovel out any money for an IcyHot patch. You can just heat up a rag (not to the point of scalding hot, though) or use an ice pack that you have sitting in your freezer.
Apply those to the sore area of your back and see if they help any. The ice pack will help reduce any swelling in the area and the heated rag will loosen up any tight muscles in your back that cause you to feel stiff in the area.
4. Do Some Stretching
There is a reason why professional athletes stretch before going out and playing their sport. If you do not stretch, your muscles will tighten up and cause you some serious pain and could lead to muscle damage and other injuries. It is no different for normal people living normal lives doing normal things.
The back pain that you are dealing with may not be directly caused by tight back muscles, but not stretching and letting those back muscles tighten up will only serve to amplify your pain and I guarantee that you do not want that.
Stretching will also help you become more flexible. Make some room in your daily workout regimen that you established in #1 for some stretching or even take on yoga.
5. Do Not Sit or Lay Around
One of the mistakes I made during my bout with back pain was not moving around as much as I should have. I felt like I really couldn’t because of the pain. And I have to admit that I even neglected to do all of the exercises in my daily regimen when the pain was really bad. And I am sure that a lot of you feel the same way. But hear me out, being physically active will help your back pain.
Remember when I said about stretching. Tight muscles equal pain. Sitting or lying around will tighten your muscles and because you pain. Moving around prevents that from happening and it also helps you not pack on any weight during your battle with back pain. Weight gain, as I have already mentioned, can amplify your pain even more and lead to more pain in the future.
6. Fix Your Posture
I remember as a child always being told by teachers and my parents to sit up straight and not slouch. I always brushed it off as old people being old and kept slouching. Little did I know how beneficial that advice would come to be. If your posture is bad and you are constantly slouching or sitting improperly in other ways, you are putting unnecessary stress on your back muscles.
Try looking online for some creative ways to train yourself to sit properly so that you do not slouch. Believe me, having good posture will help you relieve your back pain as well as making you able to sit like a professional. A manager is less likely to hire someone who is slouching in their seat during an interview.
7. Get a Six Pack
And no, I do not mean a six pack of beer. I can already hear the collective disappointment. I mean a six pack of abs. Get that beach body that you have always seen on hunky guys on television. Trust me, a strong core will take a lot of the pressure off your back muscles. Your core will be able to hold up your body and carry the weight (that is hopefully just weight from your muscles) around – freeing up your back muscles.
The exercise needed to achieve a good strong core may not be the easiest to do if your back pain is severe, but still give it an effort. It will (eventually) relieve your back pain and greatly reduce the chances of that pain coming back. And you will be able to hit the beach and swim with your shirt off!
7 Natural Treatments To Eliminate Back Pain Conclusion
There you go. Seven different ways to naturally relieve your back pain. I wish that I had a list like this when I was dealing with back pain. Thankfully, I have followed most of these after my back pain went away and I have not felt it come back at all since.
Following these steps will not only help reduce your back pain – they will help you greatly improve your life in general. Eating healthier and working out more will especially help you out. I hope these help!
