7 Essential Tips on How to Get Rid of Back Pain

If you are tired of struggling with your back pain and looking for some effective methods to eliminate it, you are at the right place. Here are 7 tips to get rid of back pain and restore a natural and healthy posture.

1. Practice Good Posture to Prevent Injuries or Back Strain

• Practice good posture – it is extremely important to keep our spine healthy.
  Good posture places less strain on your muscles and ligaments, keeps your body in balance, and helps avoid back pain.
• When standing, keep your head up straight, your shoulders slightly curved back, your stomach pulled in, and your chest slightly forward. Bear most of your weight on the balls of your feet, rather than on your toes or heels. Let your arms hang down naturally.
• Don’t carry too much weight. Your backpack and your briefcase shouldn’t weigh more than 10% of your weight, and your hand bag shouldn’t be more than 3 pounds. Always alternate shoulders, whatever you carry!
• Be careful when lifting objects, especially the heavy ones, and practice caution whenever you bend down to pick up things. Bend at the knees, not at the waist line, and use your leg muscles to do it. Put yourself in a squat position, and keep your back straight while picking up any object. Never bend your back!
• If you have to stand for longer periods of time, place one foot at a time on a low stool to reduce back pain, and do it whenever you feel there’s too much pressure on your spine.

2. Sit Properly and Use a Good Chair

• If you sit most of the time, don’t slouch down in your chair or at your desk – it is one of the primary causes of back pain!
• Always maintain a proper sitting position. When seated, it is recommended to keep your back straight and your shoulders slightly back. Your feet should be flat on the floor, and your knees at the level of your hips or just below them. Avoid crossing your legs.
• It is very important to use a proper chair. To get rid of back pain, you should have an ergonomic chair with an adequate lower, mid and upper back support.
• Taking breaks, and getting up and walking for a couple of minutes once in a while, will also greatly benefit your back.

3. Sleeping Posture and Mattress

While you sleep, avoid lying on your belly and on your back.

If however you do sleep on your belly, place a pillow under your pelvis, and when lying on your back, put a pillow under your knees. This will prevent your back from arching.

The best sleeping position is on your side, with your legs slightly folded, and your spine in its naturally curved position.

To get rid of back pain, choose an ergonomic mattress that fits the shape of your body and gives enough support to your spine. A medium-firm mattress is the ideal choice.

4. Do Exercises and Stretching to Get Rid of Back Pain

Regular exercises and stretching can be of great help to eliminate, or at least relieve back pain.

• Choose appropriate exercises that will strengthen your back muscles, making them resistant to strain and injury. Abdominal exercises are also very useful, since strong stomach muscles can support your back and help prevent and overcome back pain.
• Walking, swimming, and other low-impact exercises will tone your whole body, improve your flexibility and strengthen your back muscles.
• Regular stretching exercises will also increase your flexibility, relax your muscles, and prevent and heal back pain. Try yoga. It greatly improves spinal flexibility.

5. Vitamin D and Calcium

To relieve back pain, increase your vitamin D and calcium intake.

Vitamin D and calcium deficiency can lead to low back pain, as well as diffuse bone pain. You should therefore increase the consumption of foods containing these precious elements, or take dietary supplements that contain them. And above all, you should get adequate amounts of sunlight!

Vitamin D is known to build strong bones and it is also effective in preventing osteoporosis. Researches have proven that regular vitamin D consumption may lessen the lower back spasms.

Vitamin D increases also the absorption of calcium, which is the major component of bones.

6. Hot and Cold Packs

Hot and cold packs can be very effective in the treatment of back pain. They relieve aches by stimulating the nerves of the painful area.

You can use hot towels, heating pads, or ice packs. You should try both hot and cold methods, and determine what’s best for you.

7. Natural Painkillers

Over the counter medications can provide temporary pain relief, but they should not be used for longer periods of time, as they may cause many side effects and lead to gastrointestinal damage.

Luckily, nature provides us with many natural pain killers that are very effective in relieving pain and reducing inflammations.

Devil’s claw, Arnica, Boswellia, Turmeric, Cramp Bark, and Black Cohosh are only some of the many herbs that may be very helpful in getting rid of back pain in a natural way. They are available as tinctures, ointments, or in capsule form. If you wish to learn more, read also 7 Top Natural Painkillers.

If you carefully follow the above mentioned strategies and tips, you will surely manage to get rid of your annoying back pain. If the pain persists, than you absolutely need to consult your physician.

You might also find useful reading How to Deal With Aches When You Wake Up. However, if you have any other back pain relief tips to suggest, please share them in the comments below!