What to do with back pain Regardless of whether you suffer from acute or chronic complaints – with our tips you will get rid of your back pain quickly!
It's no secret that Germans sit too much. So it's not surprising that back pain is one of the most common diseases in this country – because these days these are mostly due to a lack of exercise. But what should you do with back pain?
What to do with back pain
Back pain is usually treated based on the cause and according to whether the complaints are acute or chronic. This tip can help with acute back pain:
Step storage
The so-called step positioning often helps against acute, severe pain. You carefully lie down on the floor or on a yoga mat, bend your legs and lay your calves horizontally on a chair, sofa or similar. The knees should be at a 90 degree angle and the lower back should lie completely on the floor. Breathe in and out deeply and lie there for about two to five minutes at the most. To get up, roll on your side and stand over the side accordingly.
Why does this help?
Acute back pain is alleviated through the step positioning, as the spine relaxes and the intervertebral discs are relieved. If the exercise is carried out daily for a few days, it can help to relieve tension and counteract a hollow back.
But: Step positioning is not a treatment for permanent pain! Because it is a gentle posture that can possibly even worsen the cause of the complaints. You shouldn't do it for more than a few days without talking to a doctor.
The best tips against chronic and acute back pain
But there are also other ways that acute back pain can be treated:
Movement / back training
While bed rest was the first treatment of choice in the past, doctors nowadays usually recommend exercise for chronic and acute back pain. That might sound absurd at first, after all, you are in pain. But the intervertebral discs need movement to work. Of course, that doesn't mean that we have to jog through the park despite the back pain. But there is, for example, targeted back training in the back school, with which the back muscles are strengthened.
Occupational therapy
In occupational therapy, you learn how to cope with back pain in everyday life.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
In the progressive muscle relaxation according to US doctor Edmund Jacobsen, individual muscle groups from head to toe are tensed as an exercise. After a few seconds, you release the tension and feel the released state for a while. The training should make us more aware of the difference between tensing and relaxing the muscles – this also helps with back pain.
Heat applications
Especially with slight back pain Many affected people find warmth to be beneficial, for example in the form of a heat plaster or simply a hot water bottle on the painful area. This makes it easier to relieve tension.
acupuncture
In traditional Chinese medicine, which includes acupuncture, it is assumed that blockages in the life energy chi cause pain. Acupuncture can relieve discomfort caused by tight muscles. However, their effectiveness against chronic back pain has only been partially proven.
Painkiller
If the pain is severe, the doctor can, if necessary Prescribe medication that is either anti-inflammatory or general pain relief. It should only be taken as directed by a doctor – especially with anti-inflammatory drugs, unwanted side effects can occur with prolonged use.
massage
A professional massage releases blockages and relaxes tension. Especially those who have to sit a lot in everyday work, can do something good for his back and neck with regular massages.
Where does my lower back pain come from?
The treatment of back pain has fundamentally changed. Often also their cause. The spine today suffers less from wear and tear from physical work. The aforementioned lack of exercise, constant sitting and constant stress are mostly to blame for complaints. In 85 percent of all back patients, no physical causes can be found, according to the Medical Center for Quality in Medicine (ÄZQ). Back pain is now seen as a consequence of our lifestyle, just like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Why a healthy back also has to do with the psyche
Herniated disc, lumbago, irritation of the sciatic nerve, tense muscles – these were the common assumptions in the past when it came to acute back pain. Now you know that stressful living conditions and the soul can be behind it. Experts even suspect that stress, increased workload, pressure to perform and self-optimization weigh so heavily on us in our society that back pain has increased continuously in recent years. Doctors should therefore always check whether psychosomatic back pain is the problem.
Live healthy = healthy back?
In most cases, the victims are women. Acute back pain is more common than men in all age groups. No wonder, after all, even if the opposite is often claimed, they are more sensitive to pain. It is all the more important that we pay attention to our own way of life and incorporate more exercise into our everyday life. This not only alleviates lower back pain, we can also prevent back pain.
By the way, you can find other possible causes of back pain and everything about lower back pain here.
VIDEO TIP: With these simple exercises, back pain is a thing of the past!