1. Stay Hydrated
Yes, you’ve heard this before, but it needs repeating. Drink about eight glasses of water a day. Proper hydration can help to relieve swelling in your back, providing significant relief. In fact, many types of pain that are related to swelling can be relieved by drinking more water.
2. Don’t Strain
Avoid straining to reach things that are just beyond your reach, or bending to lift things that are too heavy for you to bear. Cutting corners can do severe damage to your back. Take the time to reach and lift correctly, and ask for help if you need it.
3. Ladies, Ditch Those Heels
Put on comfortable flat footwear. The strain from high heels on your feet, ankles, and legs can spread through your entire body, throwing your back out of alignment. Our bodies were not designed to walk in high heels. Flatter footwear will help you to walk and stand more naturally, reducing the stress on your back.
4. Exercise Gently
Doing nothing causes the muscles in your back to get stiff and tight. Even though you should not twist too aggressively if you have back issues, doing a bit of gentle, low impact exercise for a minimum of 15 minutes each day, such as walking or swimming, can keep those back muscles mobile.
5. Change Your Sleeping Position
The way you sleep can put pressure on your back. Try going to sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees, to help lessen your back pain. A full-sized body pillow is great for this. The pillow will help to keep your spine properly aligned as you sleep, so that you can awaken feeling rejuvenated, rather than sore.
6. Check Your Chair
If you spend the better part of the day sitting, such as at an office job, your back pain might be caused by bad posture from a bad chair. Try switching your old chair for a new ergonomic chair, and see if your back pain disappears.
7. Consider Acupuncture
If all else fails and you do need the help of a professional, a lot of people suffering from ongoing back pain have discovered that acupuncture can greatly relieve their condition. It might seem scary at first to let someone stick you with needles, but you won’t even feel it. What you should feel, however, is much less back pain.
Back pain can drastically limit what you can do from day to day. These pointers can help you find some much-needed relief, and allow you to get on with your life, without back pain.
