Lower Back Pain? The Best Way to Ease Lower Back Pain
From the late 1990s to 2024, the disability rates associated with lower back pain have consistently increased. According to Statista, its prevalence is expected to increase by 7.3% by 2030[1]. Back pain affects our movements and limits our day-to-day tasks. Even sitting to watch a movie for a few hours becomes a daunting experience sometimes.
Finding the best way to ease lower back pain is now a necessity for us. In fact, the vast majority of people are likely to suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives. It’s been mismanaged for longer periods, and it’s time that we reboot our understanding of lower back pain and find and apply the best practices to ease it.
Self-assessment of Lower Back Pain
Back pain is the most common cause of visiting a physician. But here is the good news: if there is an acute episode of back pain, there is a chance that we can recover from it without any treatment by self-managing it at home.
The most common symptom of this type of lower back pain is experiencing it while bending or lifting. This type of pain may also radiate to other body parts, including the abdomen, legs, or buttocks. The intensity of the pain also varies from mild to moderate. Only a small number of people develop long-standing back problems from this type of back pain.
However, in case there is a lower back pain emergency such as in the cases given below, seek medical assistance immediately:
- Lower back pain that arises after a traumatic injury, such as a road accident
- Develops severely and suddenly
- Comes with other red-flag symptoms (Difficulty walking or standing, loss of bladder control, loss of consciousness)
- Lasts for severalweeks
Certain groups of people are more likely to develop lower back pain emergencies, such as:
- Immunocompromised people
- People younger than 18 and older than 50
- People diagnosed with conditions such as osteoporosis or osteoarthritis
- Women are more prone to lower back pain than men
Besides, these people should also be concerned about their lower back pain;
- Office Workers
- Manual Laborers
- Athletes
- Pregnant Women
- People with Sedentary Lifestyles
Detailed Measures to Ease Lower Back Pain
Ignoring back pain can put a strain on our physical, financial, and mental well-being. Here are some of the best ways to ease lower back pain:
(1) Home Relief Strategies
Home relief strategies are effective, inexpensive, and the best ways to ease lower back pain. Here are several strategies to consider:
- Limited Bed Rest: Just like any other injury, such as a wrist or ankle sprain, avoiding aggravating activity for the first few days might help with pain.
- Heat and Cold Therapies: Heat helps to relieve pain by relaxing the muscles. It decreases the amount of back spasms and increases blood flow so blood can reach the part of the muscle that needs healing. If we have never had back pain before and now we have injured our back, in which case thenthe initial use of cold therapy is appropriate to decrease inflammation. However, if the back pain is chronic or recurrent, heat therapy may be more helpful in relieving the symptoms.
- Physical Activity: When we include a few physical exercises in our daily routine, our muscles get stronger and flexible and are less likely to get injured. Exercises also promote the healing process of back aches and improve overall function. Some simple exercises to do at home include bridges, stretches, walking, and jogging.
(2) Daily Habit Adjustment
Working on improving our daily habits is the best way to ease lower back pain. Consider adjusting these habits into our life as they greatly reduce back pain:
- Improve the Posture: Avoid sitting with poor posture. Sit with your shoulders back, tummy in, and back straight. A back brace for posture is a great investment to improve the posture of the body.
- Take Walks: Brisk walking helps keep the weight off of our shoulders. It's a good and safe exercise to maintain a healthy weight and ease back pain.
- Quit Smoking: Smoking greatly damages our vertebrae by restricting the blood flow to our discs. It often results in early degeneration of the disc. Moreover, smoking also restricts bone growth by reducing calcium absorption.
- Lifting Things the Right Way: Lifting things while twisting the wrong way often results in muscle spasms and back pain. Learn the proper mechanism of the body and involve the muscles of the legs more than the back.
(3) Strengthening and Exercise
On a funny note, we may say that the motion is lotion for our spine. But it has a serious meaning. Strengthening and exercising is the best way to ease lower back pain and improve its symptoms. When we are involved in a good exercise activity such as a six-mile run, our brain produces opioids, which are equivalent to 10 milligrams of morphine. So exercise is a powerful drug, too.
Core exercises such as planks, crunches, and abdominal bracing have gained widespread acceptance in the fitness industry for preventing and treating back pain. Most strengthening exercises have the same effect. All forms of exercise are good including walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or even other forms like yoga, pilates, or Tai Chi. It is advisable to consult a physical therapist and choose an exercise that is affordable, convenient, and enjoyable.
(4) Professional Treatments
Several types of professional treatments might help treat lower back pain. Some of these treatment options include:
- Acupuncture
- Therapeutic massage
- Spinal manipulation
- Chiropractic care
- Prescription medications
- Topical analgesics
- Epidural steroid injections
- Facet joint injections
-
Surgery
Preventive Measures for Lower Back Pain
Here are some of the best practices to prevent back pain and keep our muscles strong.
- Stretching and muscle-strengthening exercises.
- Take good care of posture while standing and sitting. Take caution when lifting weights.
- Maintain a healthy weight. It's highly likely to strain our back due to heavyweight. Choosing healthy food and getting involved in physical activity daily helps you stay in the healthy weight range.
- Integrate high-quality back support into the routine. The back brace for lower back pain is the best way to ease lower back pain and support the muscles.
Fivali’s Quality Back Braces
When we stick our belly in and pretense our back muscles, we increase the compressive loads on the spine. It is one of the potential mechanisms which can lead to chronic pain. A full back brace is great for everyday wear as it is designed to support our back during physical activities.
Fivali offers a range of back braces. From upper back braces and plus-size back braces to back braces for women and back support braces for men, Fivali offers an essential piece of personal protective gear for everyone to help with pain relief in the lower back.
How to Wear a Back Brace for Lower Back Pain?
Wearing a back brace is actually very simple. Here are the exact steps on how to wear a back brace for lower back pain.
- Choose a back brace that specifically targets back pain
- Use the official Fivali size chart to match perfectly with your specific condition
- Place the brace around the back of your body and ensure its wings are giving optimal coverage
- Adjust the straps and fasteners to ensure a snug fit
For more detailed information, please visit Fivali Fitness Guide on How to Wear a Back Brace for Lower Back Pain.
