Back pain can be discomforting and make it challenging to complete daily activities. Usually, this can be resolved immediately with pain relievers. However, this isn’t the case for people experiencing chronic back pain. There are various causes of chronic back pain. About 29% of American adults experiencing back pain suggest that this discomfort is caused by stress. At the same time, 26% blame modern lifestyles and weak muscles for chronic back pain. Fortunately, there are various ways you can resolve your chronic back pain. Here are a few.
- Restorative sleep
Pain is a significant cause of insomnia, as the discomfort you experience makes it almost impossible to fall or stay asleep. However, your back pain is likely to get worse if you do not get enough rest. Your body needs restorative sleep to repair and heal its tissues and recharge your body for the next day’s activities. So, how can you get healthy sleep when your pain makes it impossible? You can consult your doctor for advice. You may need to make some lifestyle changes. You may also need to take in medications or consider other treatments like spine surgery – depending on the cause and severity of your back pains.
- Increase and release endorphins
Endorphins are naturally produced hormones in your body. You may not know that these hormones are responsible for preventing pain signals from being registered by the brain. Therefore, endorphins help relieve stress, anxiety, and depression- conditions that can cause chronic back pain and further worsen the back pain and discomfort. Specific activities such as aerobic exercises, meditation, and massage therapy help increase your endorphin levels, making these exercises ideal for resolving chronic back pain issues.
- Train your core
Your muscles in the back and abdominal areas play a vital role in supporting your lower spine. These muscles are not well exercised during the typical day and need specific exercises. There are simple exercises you can do for 20-30 minutes each day to target your core. For starters, you can begin with an upright sitting on an exercise ball for at least 30 minutes every day. Other exercises you can try include bridges, knee-to-chest stretches, lower back rotational movements, cat stretches, and many others.
- Monitor your pain levels and daily routine
Your doctor needs to know how you feel between visits to manage your pain effectively. It can be helpful to keep a diary of your daily “pain score” to help you track your pain. Write down your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 at the end of every day. When visiting your doctor, take your log or pain journal to help your doctor understand how you live with your chronic back pain every day and your physical fitness level. The journal may contain date and time, pain severity, location and duration, causes and triggers, and other additional symptoms.
- Correct your posture
The way you stand, sit or rest your head may seem trivial. However, this may be intensifying your back pain. It is vital to keep your spine aligned to correct your posture. You can relieve yourself from the unnecessary pain in your back by ensuring your spine is in the proper position each day. Standing and sitting with your spine aligned also improves blood flow to keep your blood vessels and nerves healthy and support your tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Studies have shown that individuals using correct posture are less likely to develop any pain in their back or neck.
- Distract yourself from your pain
Focusing on your pain can make things worse rather than improve them for the better. It can be helpful to find something else to focus on your mind instead of your back pain. You can complete your web design project, listen to your favorite podcast, or create content for your blog. All these are productive ways to keep your mind busy and distracted from the pain. If you live with individuals who understand your chronic pain condition, it can be helpful to involve them in the distracting method. You could chat, listen to something on your radio, or go for a walk together. You may not be able to avoid the pain, but you can take control of your life.
Persistent pain in the back can interfere with the quality of your life. Fortunately, there are multiple treatment options to get adequate relief. While some of those mentioned above are usually overlooked, applying one or a combination should help you find which one works best for you.