Friday, August 23, 2013

Non-Invasive Lower Back Pain Treatment Methods


Lower back pain is a painful condition that almost everyone, regardless of health level, will experience at least once in a lifetime. You might have already had one when you felt instantaneous pain shoot up from your lower back as you made an awkward twist to lift your baby from his crib, or the pain may have gradually developed as you spent countless hours hunched over in your office chair. Whatever the cause is, most conditions go away after being treated at home using simple non-invasive remedies such as exercise, medication and rest.

Pilates Exercises For Pain Relief

If you have experienced the numbness and stiffness that lower back pain brings, you may think that exercise is the last thing that you will need to treat it. But according to experts, exercises that gently stretches the muscles such as Pilates is the most effective treatment method.

Pilates targets the abdominal and lower back muscles which support the spine, thus it is ideal not only for pain relief, but in preventing it from coming back. You may also use the Pilates reformer, an apparatus that is built like a table, with movable seat and several straps, to give you a better and more precise stretch while ensuring proper posture and alignment.

Rolling on Exercise Ball

Anything round will roll for sure. The exercise ball uses the body's natural reaction to an unstable object to strengthen core muscles. A simple exercise ball routine called the Rock Back-and-Forth, which calls for slow back and forth tilting of the pelvic contracts the stomach muscles and flattens the small of the back. Other exercise ball routines are the Rock side-to-side and the Circles.

Foam Roller to Stretch

The foam roller exercise is also called self-myofascial release. A foam roller is a firm piece of rubber that looks like a log, with a diameter of six inches. You simply place it on a matted floor then you roll over it with your lower back, pushing the sore spot in contact with the foam roller for 1 minute before releasing. Repeat the exercises for about 15 minutes and you will feel instant lower back pain relief.

Medication Also Known As Pain Killer

Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medication merely masks the pain but does not treat the condition. But it does give you a few hours of respite from the pain. Medication for lower back pain should be non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID. Some NSAID drugs available are aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen. Taken with back exercises, these medicines will help you recover faster from your condition.

Rest

Because your condition may be caused by over exertion and even stress, rest is one of the best non-invasive treatments for it. But when we say rest, we mean you step back a bit and slow down a notch from your normal activities. It does not mean shutting yourself down in your bed, or planting yourself sideways on the couch - these things will aggravate the pain. Instead, alternate between sitting on a comfortable chair with a firm backrest and walking around the house slowly and deliberately. You may also do chores that you enjoy like baking or cleaning the closet. Just make sure not to make any sudden movement or lift anything heavy.

With a combination of non-invasive treatments such as exercise, medication and rest, you will definitely recover from your pain. To prevent relapse, consider taking up Pilates as a way to strengthen your core muscles so that they are strong enough to support your spine.

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