Are you suffering from recurring back pain?
Lower back pain is one of those things that many people are afflicted with at some point in their life. It often comes on without warning, is very painful, very inconvenient then after a while it settles down and you wondered what all the fuss was about. For some people however, it doesn’t go away and will linger on quietly in the background and then without reason rears its ugly head again to reap havoc – pain and inconvenience.
When this pattern of back pain occurs over and over then one thing that needs to be addressed is lumbopelvic strength. It is well known recurrent episodes of back pain will lead to poor strength around the pelvis, hips and spine and that in turn increases the likelihood that it will return. It is therefore very important to break the downward spiral of pain and ongoing weakness. Once your back pain has subsided, investigate safe options to improve your general strength, in particular your back and abdominal strength.
Four things you can do to break the cycle of lower back pain.
Here are a few things that help if you find yourself or someone you know in this cycle:
- Use appropriate therapies to assist the pain in the acute stage. This may include medication as advised by your doctor, heat and massage to reduce muscle spasm, and advice from your physiotherapist.
- Keep moving as best you can. Intermittent rest is important but too much can aggravate the pain. Walking or swimming is a great source of movement that can help back pain.
- Our backs are most vulnerable after a period of rest. After getting up from a position of rest such as sitting for a while or getting out of bed in the morning, try to avoid forward bending for at least the first 30 minutes.
- When the acute stage has settled start a strengthening regime to ensure you begin to improve the strength and stability and break the cycle of back pain.
Pain is a valuable signal from the brain telling us that things are not quite right or there is danger. Sometimes that signal becomes overexcited and continues to fire when the danger has passed. This can lead to chronic pain. If this is the case it may be worth investigating further with your doctor.
I hope this advice helps you break the pain cycle. Deb.