Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
Chronic back pain can ruin your life… at least, make you feel that way. Trust me, I know. It can make even the smallest tasks impossible to accomplish. Muscles spasm. Vertebrae lock up. Relief or even a slight improvement can be elusive. You go to bed with pain and wake up with pain. It can even become difficult to concentrate and progressively harder to move normally. Left untreated, chronic back pain usually gets worse.
So, don’t do that…
Depending on your views about chronic pain and what you are willing to do to stop it, here are some options for natural remedies, as well as a couple of more aggressive medical therapies. Be responsible and research everything before you make any decisions for treatment. These suggestions are simply meant to be informational and not meant to replace the advice of your health care providers.
Stretch and relax – It’s often the last thing you want to do, but movement can be a good way to regain mobility and strength, but ask your doctor before you start any exercise program. Obviously, it’s not wise to try mountain climbing! But, some simple movements will encourage flexibility and, hopefully, get you back to a more normal state of motion. Start with some daily stretches (light yoga is the perfect morning and evening remedy). Try to keep yourself active, and keep the back moving throughout the day. That said, don’t forget to relax and rest it, too.
Sleep – Lack of sleep can keep a pain cycle going endlessly. Pain keeps you awake and this does not allow the body to heal and restore properly, resulting in chronic inflammation. If this is an issue, first you might want to make sure you are not consuming too much sugar and caffeine, as this will hinder sleep. Also, meditation music or a calming massage might help you relax enough to fall asleep. If all of that fails, talk to your doctor about sleep aids or other alternative methods. A good night’s sleep will boost your mood too. And mood is important for healing and recovery. You can also try some herbs or essential oils to help you sleep.
Strengthen your core – Pain in the back occurs for many reasons, so you and your doctor should consider your recovery plan carefully. Though, there are many exercises that might help, some might make things worse. However, you can take some of that pressure off your spine by strengthening your core. By increasing the strength in your abdominals and your back muscles, you support the spine and take some of the pressure off. These muscles are not typically worked during the average day. They need specific exercise, so work on them daily. One book I highly recommend is Pain Free by Pete Egoscue. It is a revolutionary method for stopping chronic pain. I have personally used this and have had extraordinary results.
For serious extreme chronic pain the following are treatment options
OTC medicine and other therapies – Over-the-counter pain relief medicines might be strong enough to fight the pain or take it down to tolerable levels. Start with those, and see how it goes. If the pain persists, and you need something stronger, it’s time to call your doctor. There are some treatments available worth researching. You could try visiting a ketamine clinic for chronic pain. Do some research on Chiropractic care, as well.
Nerve block treatment – Recently, scientists have worked on a new potential treatment for chronic pain. It’s called nerve-block treatment, and it works by harnessing the power of radiation. It’s targeted on the spine and works to eliminate the nerve fibres around the pain centre. It sounds interesting and might be a good option for those who can’t find any relief otherwise.
**** This post is strictly informational and is not meant to replace the advice of your health care provider. Women’s lifelink, it’s owners, administrators, contributors, affiliates, vendors, authors and editors do not claim that this information will diagnose, treat, or improve any condition or disease.
