August 23rd, 2017

// Have a Bad Back? What It Takes to Manage Your Pain & Discomfort – Guest Post

Have a Bad Back? What It Takes to Manage Your Pain & Discomfort

Back aches and pains can negatively impact your life in many different ways. In addition to seeing your doctor, there are some extra steps that you can take to ease your pain and discomfort. Here are a few different methods that you can try to relieve bad back symptoms.

Perform Safe Exercises

Even though you may be inclined to sit a lot or climb into bed and rest to ease your aching back, exercising can actually be more beneficial. Staying active can relieve back pain more than just resting alone by keeping your tendons, ligaments and spinal discs flexible. Working out may also prevent your muscles from stiffening and weakening, which can lead to further back problems. Just be sure to do exercises that aren’t too strenuous and avoid things like lifting heavy weights or trying to do your own air conditioning repairs. Ideal exercises for relieving back pain include walking, swimming and stationary biking.

Adjust Your Chair

The way you sit might be contributing to your bad back without you even knowing it. You may have to adjust the height of your office chair so that you aren’t hunching or overreaching while working on your computer or performing other office tasks. Your office chair should support your natural spinal curvature. It is further important to make sure that your feet are touching the floor to reduce lower back strain. Adjusting your car seat so that you’re sitting closer to your steering wheel can also prevent back pain by keeping you from hunching, overreaching your arms or overstretching your legs.

Take the Right Supplements

Taking certain supplements can also help you manage your back pain and discomfort. Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption, and too little of this vitamin might make your back problems worse. Devils claw is great for reducing inflammation that contributes to low back pain. According to Everyday Health, turmeric is also known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Willow bark and magnesium are other useful supplements for relieving back aches.

Try Getting Acupuncture

This traditional Chinese form of medicine has the ability to provide fast relief for an aching back. A practitioner will lightly insert a series of small needles into different points on your back. This will allow energy to flow along meridians of your body. Your qi will be in better balance with acupuncture and provide further relief. Acupuncture can also stimulate the production of opioids in your body that act as natural pain killers.

You shouldn’t have to just live with a bad back. By getting the right medical care and making some simple changes to your life, you’ll have an easier time managing your back aches and pains. Of course, having a bad back can be tough. If you find that nothing that you’re doing is really working for you, consult the help of a professional and maybe even getting a surgery, like those done by the Surgery Center of Kenai.

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