10 Tips to Help Reduce Your Low Back Pain

10 Tips to Help Reduce Your Low Back Pain

man grabbing his low back in pain

I’ve created this content as free ebook here. I also wanted to share this content as a post for those of you who don’t want to go through the process of downloading an ebook.

Introduction: How to Reduce Low Back Pain

Low back pain is so common that about 80% of people will experience it at some point in their life. Low back pain can be debilitating to the point where it takes over your life. It prevents you from going on walks, playing with your kids, getting things done around the house, and from enjoying life. Many people become consumed by their low back pain and are forced to stop doing the things they love. Don’t let your low back pain take over your life. There are ways to reduce and even get rid of your low back pain.

Without seeing you and knowing your medical history, I can’t tell you for certain that these tips will eliminate your pain. However, from my experience working with many people just like you, I have found that these simple strategies go a long way. I have helped hundreds of people get rid of their pain and through working with these people, I’ve been able to narrow down these common things that can help alleviate your low back pain. My challenge to you is to implement at least three of these 10 strategies for an entire week. I think you will be surprised at how small changes can yield big results.

1. Build a Routine of Low Impact Exercise

Perhaps the most powerful thing you can do to help your low back pain is exercise. Of all the therapeutic interventions for low back pain, exercise is the most well supported by research. Your body was made to move. Your muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments all receive vital nutrients through movement.

In a state of chronic low back pain, the central nervous system has been conditioned to prevent movement. Certain movements have been causing pain for so long that your brain has now trained your body to elicit a pain response with certain movements. This is a protective mechanism that can often take over. Building a routine of low impact exercise can help reverse this conditioned pain response and help re-train your body and brain to accept movement as normal again.

Exercise also helps by cycling nutrients through the body, removing waste products, stimulating muscle growth, and providing you with more energy. The benefits of exercising are endless.

  • Start with 10-30 minutes of gentle cardio exercise (walking, biking, elliptical, swimming).
  • The best exercise is the one you can commit to. Do something you enjoy!
  • Try to exercise at least 3-5 times per week for 20-60 minutes.
  • Implementing the proper core-specific exercises can help support the low back and reduce the risk of future injury.

2. Avoid Prolonged Sitting

Being in one position for too long is not a good thing for the spine. Again, your joints receive nutrients through movement. Movement also stimulates mechanoreceptors in the joint that serve to inhibit pain. Yes, simply getting up to move can help reduce pain.

Even if you work at a job where you sit all day, be sure to get up at least once every 30 minutes. You don’t need to stay up for long. Simply stand up, do a quick stretch routine of your favorite stretch, and sit back down. Determine which direction feels best on your low back (bending forward vs. bending backward). Do a couple gentle repetitions of your directional preference and sit back down.

It helps to have some sort of reminder to help you remember to get up and stretch. Try setting a reminder on your phone.

3. Adjust Your Workplace Ergonomics

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip. Most of us spend the majority our day at work. Your overall awareness of body position decreases the longer you spend in one position. Setting up your workstation the correct way can help you avoid posture-related pain.

  • Chair should be positioned so your feet are flat on the ground and your knees are either level or slightly below your hips.
  • Armrests should be at a height that allows your shoulders to be relaxed.
  • Desk and keyboard height should allow your shoulders to be relaxed, your elbows to be at about a 100-110 degree angle and your forearms and wrists to be straight.
  • The top of your computer monitor should be about 2 inches above eye level when you’re sitting upright.
  • Avoid holding a telephone between your shoulder and ear

4. Sleep Smarter

Does your back pain interfere with your sleep? Do you get back pain when you first get out of bed? Your sleeping position and mattress both have an influence on your spine.

Here are a couple tips to try that can help you get a better night’s rest and allow you to sleep for longer.

  • Don’t sleep on your stomach.
  • Try sleeping on your back with pillows under knees. This helps keep the joints of the low back in a semi-flexed position and also lengthens the muscles along the spine.
  • Another great sleeping position is lying on your side with a pillow between your knees. This helps keep the hips and pelvis level, which in turn helps keep the spine in a neutral position.
  • Your mattress may be too soft. A soft mattress can allow the spine to contour to it, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. If you’ve had your mattress for more than 5 years, you may want to consider getting a new one. It could be a valuable investment that helps you feel better every morning.

5.  Perfect Your Lifting Mechanics

This one isn’t just for weightlifters. You need to be mindful of the position of your back every time you bend down to pick something up. Lifting with a twist is one of the most common ways people injure their backs. It’s not because the spine isn’t meant to do lift and twist. It’s because people haven’t strengthened their core enough to handle such loads.

  • Squat down and use your legs to lift heavy objects.
  • Keep objects close to your body as you lift them.
  • Avoid excessive spinal rotation when holding heavy objects.
  • When picking up a light object, try using a golfer’s lift. Have you seen a golfer grab his/her ball from the cup? Keeping your spine straight, hinge forward at your hips while lifting your back foot off the ground.

6.  Achieve A Healthy Weight

Nobody wants to acknowledge this but weight does play a role in low back pain. Excessive body weight leads to increased joint compression forces through the spine and other joints. Shedding excessive body fat can help offload joints and alleviate pain. This can be hard to do when you’re in too much pain to exercise. Start with some light, low impact cardiovascular exercise.

Work with your physician, physical therapist, and nutritionist to develop a diet and exercise plan for you.

7.  Yoga & Stretching

There is plenty of evidence supporting the benefits of yoga for chronic low back pain. If you have never attempted yoga, it can be intimidating at first. However, it is a low impact activity that allows you to go at your own pace. It also is generally offered in group classes, which can allow you to develop a community for emotional support.

  • Find a yoga studio near your home or try an online video
  • Modify certain poses that you feel are uncomfortable or too difficult
  • Be mindful of your body throughout your yoga practice and listen to your body

 

 

8. Meditation & Mindfulness

Chronic low back pain affects more than just the body. There are psychological, emotional, and social influences as well. Current research supports a biopsychosocial approach to chronic low back pain. This includes more than just physical treatment.

Meditation has been practiced by people for thousands of years but has recently gained publicity in the West. It is the practice of focusing your attention to calm the mind and increase your awareness of life. There are many reasons to implement meditation into your life. It can help reduce stress, improve mental clarity, elicit relaxation, increase happiness, and expand self-awareness.

9.  Heat & Ice

People often get confused as to whether they should be using ice or heat for their pain. Ice is best for an acute inflammatory condition. For example, if you just lifted something heavy and felt a sharp pull in your back, you should be icing it for the next several days.

When it comes to chronic pain, however, I’ve found that most people respond better to heat. Using heat can help increase the pliability of the tissue and make your back feel looser. I generally recommend ice for acute pain and heat for chronic aching or stiffness.

 

10. Get Physical Therapy

There’s no better way to get rid of your low back pain than seeing a qualified physical therapist. A good physical therapist will take the time to educate you regarding the source of your pain so that you understand why you’re in pain. Your physical therapist will work one-on-one with you to develop an individualized plan to get rid of your pain and improve your overall function.  Physical therapists use a combination of hands-on techniques and therapeutic exercises to relax tight muscles, loosen up stiff joints, and strengthen your body so that you can get back to doing everything in life that you enjoy.

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