10 Back Pain Home Remedies That Help You to Get Relief

Lower back pain is more common among middle aged people over 40 years of age. More than 70 percent of the people have the experience this physical disorder at some or other time. Back pain can be caused by the prolonged static postures, heavy work and frequent twisting or lifting. This is not a very serious disorder for most of the affected people, and the recovery is possible within five or six weeks.

Back Pain Causes

Back pain can be caused by different reasons. Different causes are:

• Breaking down of discs located between vertebrae because of age.
• Wearing down of the facet joints that connect each vertebra to another.
• Spine injuries and sprains.
• Some other medical conditions like arthritis, scoliosis, pregnancy, kidney stones, endometriosis etc.
• Infections and tumors.

Risk of back pain is more to the persons including in the following categories:

• Males
• Overweighed persons
• Pregnant women
• People who are middle age and above
• People who are maintaining poor posture
• People who are not getting any body exercise
• People who have a history of back pain in the family
• People who are having chronic cough
• People who are in a depressed mental state for a long time
• People who have birth problems of spine
• People who have the habit of smoking
• People who are doing jobs that require frequent bending, twisting and heavy lifting

Back pain is a complex disorder, so it is very difficult to do the accurate diagnosis of it. But exact diagnosis is very much needed to select the correct treatment procedure. Along with the clinical diagnosis, diagnostic tests are also taken into account to find out the actual reason of the back pain.

X-ray is the most common diagnostic method used to get the details of this disorder. But if more detailed information is needed to determine the correct treatment procedure, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Axial Tomography) scans are also recommended by the physician.

Anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants will be administrated to ease the pain. Low dose steroids are also prescribed in some cases for a short period, to get relief from the pain.

Physical therapy is a successful treatment option for back pain and it involves some exercises, hands-on therapy and massage. In some cases traction is also applied to get better result. If you continue the exercises practicing in this treatment method, you can develop strong back muscles and do not have to fear about back pain attack in future.

If your problem is more serious and you are not able to find improvement in the above treatments, surgery is the next option. Different surgical techniques are used for this disorder. The physician will determine the type of surgery you have required, after studying your present condition from the different test results.

The different surgical procedures that are use for the treatment of back pain are:

• Laminectomy: This is a standard procedure to enlarge the space available for the nerves.
• Laminotomy: This method minimizes the risk of postoperative instability.
• Laminoplasty: This is a procedure to remove the posterior vertebral aches.
• Hemilaminectomy: This involves the removal of enlarged facet joints.
• Kyphoplasty: This is used in the cases of back pain caused by compression fracture.

Surgical procedures have certain complications such as wound infection, nerve root damage, hematoma formation etc. Spine surgery should be the last option and only do it when other treatment methods are failed to produce any desired results.

The main cause of the back pain may be because of the engagement in some heavy physical work like lifting some heavy objects or doing yard works that you are not usually familiar with. Ten back pain home remedies that will help to get relief from the symptoms are listed below:

• Use Medicines: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are helpful to control swelling and pain. Take these drugs along with good food and after consultation with your doctor. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is also helpful to get relief from pain.
• Get Some Rest: Take rest for two days and that will give you a better feeling. Taking rest does not mean that you have take complete bed rest for two days. Keep bed rest to a minimum and give your body adequate rest by not involving in any serious activities. When you lie down, do not use any mattresses and place pillows under the knees with your hips and knees bent, to take the weight off your back.
• Use Ice: Place ice on the affected area to reduce acute pain because it will reduce the inflammation by constricting the blood vessels and reducing blood flow and swelling. Do not apply ice for more than five minutes at a time.
• Apply Heat: After two days, use some heating pad to the affected area and that will help to relax painful muscle spasms. Take care for not to apply heat more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time.

• Weight Reduction: Start to think seriously about reducing your overweight. Keeping a healthy weight is very important to avoid this disorder in future.
• Do Regular Exercises: After you have relieved from pain, start doing regular exercise for 20 to 30 minutes a day to strengthen your muscles. Swimming, bicycling, walking etc. are good exercises and include some specific exercises also that will help to strengthen your back muscles.
• Avoid Smoking: Smoking can be a reason for hardening the arteries causing low back pain and degenerative disc disorders. So avoid smoking.
• Maintain Good Posture: When you are driving, sit straight and adjust the seat to a little forward so that you do not have to lean forward to reach the controlling panel. Sit on chairs that have low back support and keep your knees a little higher than the hips. If you have to stand for a long time, keep one foot on a low stool and keep switching this foot in every 10 minutes. This will help you to relieve pressure on your back. When sleeping, put pillows under your knees and your lower back. Use a firm mattress to sleep and that will keep your backbone straight. When lifting something heavy, do not bend the waist to lift the object, but squat to lift it.
• Stress Management: Avoid tension as much as possible because stress and tension can cause muscle tension.
• Use Relaxation Techniques: Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, tai chi etc. will help in the treatment process and are helpful in reducing stress also.

Massage, exercise programs, acupuncture and mind-body therapies are using as alternate treatment procedures for back pain. Massage is helpful to get relief from persistent back pain. Yoga exercises are ideal for improving back strength and circulation that will help to get relief from the back pain. While doing yoga, the muscles will stretch and loosen up. Some yoga poses that are recommended for getting relief from the back pain are:

1. Knee-to-Chest Pose

2. Reclining Bound Angle Pose

3. Cobra Pose

4. Corpse Pose

5. Bridge Pose

6. Cat Pose

Practice these yoga exercises under the supervision of an experienced trainer of by watching a training video. The most important aim of all these treatment programs is to develop a stronger back. To avoid this disorder in future, do adequate exercises to develop a strong back and always maintain a good posture.