Nearly everyone will experience some form back pain at some point in their lifetime. It’s incredibly common.
The base of your lower back supports all the weight above and takes a lot of stress and strain during daily life. This is why we have safe weight limits now for lifting and shifting in work.
Back pain is the number one cause of missed work. I’d bet you can think of yourself or someone you know who suffered from back pain during lockdown when you or they started working from home?
We’ve seen so many people who worked from the sofa or the kitchen table and were not comfortable. The table is meant for eating, not sticking a computer on. It’s a different height computer desk, hence the endless neck and back aches.
Lower back pain can start in the early 20s and continue throughout adulthood. Studies have shown that over 90% of people are affected by lower back pain at some time during their lives. So, taking care of your back is a bit like taking care of your teeth. It’s important to know what’s good for it and what you can do to maintain good spine hygiene.
Back pain can be triggered by a recent injury, a history of lower back pain can make your back very sensitive to load and easy to aggravate. General aging can also cause your back to become painful. No matter the cause of your lower back pain, here’s some tips to help relieve your pain:
Maintain good posture
Being stationary in prolonged poor posture can make your back very irritable. It’s great to have good posture especially if it’s a posture you spend a ton of time in for work. When you’ve got good posture, you still need regular movement.
We’ll put a link to our work posture blog at the end of this page.
Heat
A hot water bottle or wheat pack – is useful for long term lower back that’s generally achy but doesn’t feel like you’ve injured it. Regardless of whether you’re using heat or ice, you shouldn’t use it for more than 20 minutes at a time to help prevent skin damage. And hot water bottles can burn you, especially if you’re using them several times a day on the same area, so it’s good to have them in a cover.
Stretch your muscles
Stretching is a great way to relieve lower back pain, and get normal movement back to prevent future lower back problems. People who avoid exploring normal movement with their back get more flair ups. The muscles in your back are all around it so you’ll need a variety of stretches to free things off.
Basic lower back stretches include:
- Lying flat on your back and pulling a knee to your chest.
- Laying on your back with your knees bent and slowly lowering each side.
- Doing a mini press up but keeping your hips down (cobra)
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight increases the strain on your lower back, especially as you get older.
Nobody is the ideal weight all the time, but try follow guidelines to be in a healthy range for your height.
Stay active
When you’re suffering from lower back pain, you’ll be tempted to stay in bed so it hurts less. This is the worst thing you can do, your back will swell and become more painful and stiff if you don’t move. Moving around and gentle stretching in your comfy ranges can help your lower back pain settle and boost circulation in and around your back for healing.
However, it’s good, especially early after a flair up, to avoid strenuous activities that cause more pain.
Get a massage
In addition to stretching, massage is another way to reduce muscle tightness and tension and relieve lower back ache. Healthy lower back muscles lead to increased overall stability, which can help prevent future lower back problems.
Sleep on a good quality mattress
Lower back pain sufferers usually benefit from sleeping on a medium-firm mattress. However, everyone is different with this so if you can, try a mattress before you buy one.
If you have lower back pain, it’s a good idea to avoid sleeping on your stomach altogether.
If you sleep on your side you’re likely to benefit from a pillow between your knees. This keeps your pelvis neutral and prevents your spine from rotating during the night.
If you’re struggling with back pain, maybe it’s even getting in the way of you doing the things you want to do. You may be hoping that things randomly get better. Maybe you are very aware of the risk of surgery in your future, but you don’t know what the best option is now. If this sounds like you, and you don’t want to feel anxious about the prospect of going into hospital – let alone the currently extremely extended waiting lists, then now is the time to get the support you really need.
At Glossop Physio, we have helped thousands of patients, and helped hundreds of people just like you who are experiencing daily lower back pain and unable to move freely.
If what you need is some specific personalised advice, we offer you the opportunity to speak to a member of our physio team on a 1-1 basis in our clinic on Norfolk square.
In this FREE taster Consultation, we will discuss your back pain, and identify the underlying cause, as well as explaining what
Click Here to take a look at our ‘Office Ergonomics – Does Your Back Hurst Whilst Sitting’ Blog for more tips on posture and sitting comfortably.
