27 September 2022
What works for back pain can vary from person to person and what type of back pain is affecting them e.g. a temporary muscle strain, sciatica, a slipped disc etc. It can involve a little bit of trial and error to find out what works for you, so we’ve put together some tips and suggestions to help get you started.
It sounds obvious, but many of us are reluctant to go the doctor or feel that they may be “wasting the doctor’s time”. Sound familiar? If this is you and you’ve been struggling with back pain for a while now, it’s really important to go get yourself checked out and make sure that there’s nothing untoward going on. They should be able to offer you support and help to get you on the way to feeling more like your old self again.
The NHS has guidance and advice on when and where to seek help depending on your back pain symptoms.
When we’re in pain, the temptation is to move as little as possible to avoid triggering further discomfort, however, this could actually make things worse. By keeping still, you could end up locking up your back more, so that when you do want to move again (to get a drink or go to the toilet) the pain has increased.
Gentle exercise such as swimming, walking, yoga or pilates could all potentially help with your pain. If the pain increases while you’re exercising, however, stop and seek help.
If you have muscle pain and swelling, a cold pack could be a great way to help reduce the swelling and, in doing so, ease your pain a little.
For joint stiffness and muscle spasms, using something like a hot water bottle or wheat bag may be a better way to soothe your aches and pains. You may even like to try a relaxing hot bath or shower – we have a variety of bathroom aids available if you need support with bathing to help make the experience a little easier for you.
As we go about our day, we often bend or stretch to pick something up without even thinking about it. These awkward little movements could be contributing to your back pain, so it’s worth trying to be more mindful about how you move in the day.
If you’re working, it’s a very good chance that your workplace will have some kind of manual handling training available to show you how to lift items safely. Otherwise, the HSE also have advice on safe lifting practices, which are well worth a look.
If bending and reaching for things is causing you issues, you may want to consider trying something like the NRS Healthcare Combi-Reacher. This handing reaching device helps you to pick up items around you without any excess or unnecessary bending or stretching. The strong jaws are rubber lined to make sure they get a tight grip on the item, and they can rotate 360 degrees to get into a variety of spaces.
Stress could be contributing to your back pain. When we’re stressed, we tend to tense our muscles up and hold ourselves more rigidly which over long periods of time could lead to increased pain. Often, it can be difficult to identify when we’re stressed – many of us hold our jaws tense and our shoulders up without even realising it (you may be doing it right now).
Where possible, consider ways you could help mitigate some of the stress in your life. It could involve mindfulness practice, journaling, gentle exercise, talking things through with friends or family, whatever works for you and helps you to feel more relaxed.
A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine could give you drug-free pain relief – useful if you have reached your pain medication limit or simply don’t like – or can’t – take pain medication. The Beurer EM 49 Digital TENS/EMS device, for example, helps deliver TENS directly to the site of pain. It has 64 pre-set programmes to choose from and, if you’re already working with a physiotherapist, there’s the option to add customised programmes set by them as well. Its large LCD display shows you exactly where you need to position the electrodes for maximum effect.
We all can sometimes have a tendency to slump forward or let our shoulders round instead of holding ourselves a little straighter. While it will do you no good to hold yourself straight-backed and rigid, it’s still a good idea to try and maintain good posture to relieve pressure and strain on your spine. Support cushions like the Coccyx Seat Wedge can be a useful and comfortable way to help keep your spine in alignment while sitting down, this alignment can help to reduce instances of back pain.
By subscribing you consent to us using your email address in accordance with our privacy policy.