In today’s digital world you can type ‘Lower Back Pain Relief’ in to Youtube or Google and find a whole host of remedies and treatments available.  We’ve written a list of ways you can help alleviate the lower back pain you’ve been experiencing.

As a start here’s the number one video on Youtube:

1. Release your natural endorphins

Endorphins are chemicals known as hormones, which are made naturally in the body, they have sedative and analgesic effects just like pain medication. When endorphins are released in the body, they help the brain block the pain signals it receives. There are also conditions associated with chronic back pain which endorphins help alleviate such as depression, stress and anxiety.

Try the following activities to release these feel-good messengers:

• Listening to music you enjoy
• Exercise
• Meditation
• Massage Therapy
• Deep breathing
• Eating dark chocolate
• Acupuncture
• Being with loved ones

2. Recuperate and get some deep sleep

Pan is the number one medical condition which causes insomnia. Around three quarters of patients with chronic back pain also suffer with sleep disorders. A lack of sleep paradoxically can also make back pain symptoms even worse. This perpetual loop means it’s ineffective to treat merely one of the problems. Both chronic back pain and sleep disorder will need treatment.

There are many treatments available if a sleep disorder is accompanying the chronic back pain:

• Caffeine reduction
• A healthy balanced diet
• Exercise
• Meditation and relaxation techniques
• Talk therapy
• Writing your worries down
• Medication as a last resort

A combination of approaches will gain greater results.

3. Exercise your core

Muscles in your back and abdomen play a crucial role in supporting your lower back. In today’s western world these important muscles do not get much of a work out to strengthen them. As part of your daily routine you can add some short exercises to help strengthen these muscles and support your back.

Here is a video showing core exercises to strength your muscles and alleviate back pain

Regular exercise is proven to:

• Improve sleep
• Improve symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Reduce Stress
• Boost self-esteem

There are also many other health benefits to exercise;

• Increased energy levels
• Lower blood pressure
• Builds and strengthens bones
• Improved muscle tone and strength
• Reduction in body fat
• Look and feel healthier

4. Temperature can help sooth pain

Applying heat and cool packs aid the healing process and help reduce lower back pain.

Cold therapy

Cold application has two main benefits:

1. Acts like a local anaesthetic as it slows down impulses from the nerves, which reduce the nerves spasming which can create pain.
2. Reduction of inflammation, which can occur with back pain.

Heat therapy

Heat application has two primary benefits:

1. Blood flow is stimulated, which brings healing nutrients to the area.
2. Reduction in pain messages being sent to the brain.

5. Stretch your hamstrings twice daily

One of the easiest things you can do to help alleviate lower back pain is to gently stretch your hamstrings. Tight hamstrings place additional stress across the lower back and sacroiliac joint, leading to more pain. Hamstring stretching should be done at least twice per day.
There are many gentle stretching exercises that should not hurt.

Here’s a video showing how to stretch your hamstring muscles

Meditation for Chronic Pain Relief

Using meditation techniques can improve your perception of pain.  That’s not to say you’re imagining pain in your head however you can train your brain to perceive pain as less intense.  Meditation is particularly useful for people wanting to reduce their pain medication.

How do we know meditation works?

At the University of North Carolina in 2007, researchers conducted a trial to study the effects of mindful meditation on chronic pain sufferers. They were surprised to find that after just three 20-minute mindful meditation sessions, spread over three days that the study participants’ perception of pain was significantly reduced.

Want to try it?

Researchers knew that the relaxed state of mind created during meditation produces analgesic benefits that can alter a person’s perception of pain. However, they had no idea that this effect could be gained in only 3 short sessions of 20 minute meditations.

Not sure how to meditate?

Here is a mindfulness meditation from Jon Kabat-Zinn one of the leading experts in the field.

To End

Chronic pain can have debilitating effects on a person’s life, it can affect your work and thus financial situation and indeed all of your relationships.  You may experience sleep disturbances and send your state of mind spiralling out of control.

As there are so many additional issues which accompany chronic back pain anything you can do for yourself which is a natural anti-depressant will help.  Doing a few feel good activities a day can aid your state of mind and how you experience your pain.

Small things such as going for a walk in nature, hugging a friend or enjoying a chat with family over a cup of tea.  The tips within the article will help your core and spine stay strong to support your lower back leading to a happier, healthier you.

These tips are ways you can help yourself, however to address the root cause and become fully pain free use Physology, we do the hard work for you.  We ensure restrictions  within your tissues which contribute to your lower back pain are released meaning you have more movement and energy.  We can realign your skeletal system meaning your body can move the way its designed to.  At those times when you’re unmotivated know that we’re always here to help you get going again so you can return to a pain free life style.