Methods For Relieving Back Pain

Once you know about common causes of back pain you may have a better understanding of how to prevent and treat it in the first place.

Losing a few pounds may appear to be a difficult option but of it can be well worth the effort to lose weight when you get some relief for that pain.  Minding your posture, training yourself to lift with your legs – these small changes can add up to big relief for your back.

But you may need to do more than all of this.  You take all the precautions possible and still you have back pain – after all, you can’t very well live your life in a recliner or refuse to pick up your children just to keep yourself safe from potential injury!  So when you have soreness and pain, what can you do?

RELIEVING THE PRESSURE

The muscles of the back are usually able to heal and repair themselves from minor injury, and sometimes the pain you feel is simply those muscles cramping up to protect themselves so that they can heal. Relieving the pressure on your back can help your body to heal on its own.

Of course, as we’ve already mentioned there is virtually no movement a human can make that doesn’t involve the back. Even while you are sitting, the back muscles are working to keep your upper body straight and supported.

Keeping this in mind, you realize how important it is to be in a reclined position that tilts your body back and relieves that pressure on your midsection.  When your feet are higher than your pelvic area then you have less pressure on your back and it can heal.  Many have found that stretching out on the floor with pillows under the knees can help tremendously, however, do not put the pillows under your feet.  This puts added pressure on the area of the hips and this causes the back muscles to tense up even more.

If you’re laying flat on your stomach your back is still working as the front of your body collapses and your back keeps you straight.  You can instead use cushions or pillows under your stomach and upper body area to support yourself so that the back is not working as hard.

HEAT

Why is it that heat can help to relieve body pain?  Simply put, heat draws blood to that area of the body where heat is applied and blood delivers important nutrients and healing elements.  When you apply heat to your muscles they relax because the increased blood flow forces them to “unclench” themselves, and especially in areas of the back can this be important.

When your back is in pain you don’t want to go overboard with the heat and of course there are injuries and other ailments that won’t be responsive to heat – for example if you have a herniated disk that’s not going to be healed with a heating pad! – but often muscles that have been overworked and strained can relax with a simple application of heat. If you’re at work all day see if it is somehow possible to arrange a heating pad behind you for the duration of the day. If you notice that your back is starting to tense up then lean back and stay that way for a few minutes so that the heat has a chance to work.

Even though they are not boiling, care needs to be taken when using heating pads on bare skin. It’s not safe to sleep on top of one or to have it turned up too high.  Keep a piece of cloth between your skin and the heating pad – if it doesn’t have its own cover be sure to use a thin towel, sheet, or shirt.

Moist heat can also help the body to relax as the moisture loosens the muscles and skin as well.  You can get a thin towel or washcloth wet and put it between the heating pad and your back.

Having a hot shower or bath can be a big help in relieving that pressure.  A shower massage especially can work those muscles like a massage and force them to loosen up and soothe back pain.

STRETCHING

When those back muscles want to clamp up sometimes you need to force them to relax so as to cut down on the pain.  Stretching your back and your sides is a great way to reduce your pain.

However this calls for extreme caution.It’s possible to do more damage by overextending yourself.  It’s also important to make sure that you’re stretching properly so that you don’t put added stress on your back. Without the proper support many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts actually do a lot of damage to their back when stretching and working out.

Usually it’s best to sit on the floor and put your hands behind you and just stretch your back slightly.  This will give it support as you pull those muscles loose.  Moving forward carefully and slowly until your body is extended out in front of you can also loosen those muscles.

Flexion and extension

In terms of stretching, flexion means bending forward and extension means moving backwards.The release of pressure on the vertebrae when you stretch forward helps to alleviate pain caused by grinding between them.  Sometimes just standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and bending straight forward to touch your toes can help to alleviate back pressure and pain.  You need to watch your posture even as you do this so that you’re not curling yourself up and putting more pressure on your spine, but a simple stretch like this can help to loosen those tight and sore muscles.

Be careful when bending backwards that you watch your posture and make sure you don’t overextend.  Some have a tendency to think of a particular area they want to touch or span they want to reach, but you need to be mindful of your body’s own flexibility.

EXERCISE

Does anyone really like to exercise? Sure, there are obviously some who do but not everyone is like this.  Most people see exercise as a chore to be dreaded and would rather spend their free time stretched out in a favorite chair in front of the television or movie screen.

There are innumerable benefits to regular physical activity for humans, no matter what your physical situation.  Exercise increases blood circulation and the blood is what brings nutrition and oxygen to every cell in the body.  The digestive system, skin, bones, and major organs all benefit in this way from increased blood circulation. Exercise makes the heart and lungs work harder which in turn makes them stronger and a person is less likely to suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, heart disease, and conditions such as this.  Regular exercise also helps to keep one’s weight under control and there are many benefits to being at a healthy weight.

But exercise can help repair back problems and prevent a person from having painful back problems. How is this possible?

The first connection has to do with one’s weight; as we’ve mentioned excess body weight means more stress and strain on the back as it needs to work harder to move that weight around and to keep the body steady and upright.  Many who are overweight also find that their posture suffers quite a bit as this excessive weight pulls them forward, and this too keeps the back muscles tense and painful.

There is more to the association between exercise and back problems than just weight.  That increased blood circulation means that your back muscles are also getting those important nutrients and healing agents that are delivered by the blood. Oxygen is one of the most important ingredients the body needs and uses when healing a wound or injury, and oxygen is delivered by the blood.  When your back muscles are overused, injured or tense, that oxygen is desperately important for it to heal itself.

Exercising also keeps those back muscles loose and relaxed.  When you walk or cycle or do anything else along those lines, the back muscles are worked and forced to loosen up.  This means that they’re relaxed and less likely to be pulled or cramped when in use.

Just as happens with other body muscles, they become stronger when exercised.  When the back muscles are stronger they’re more resistant to pulls, tears, and overuse.  Regular exercise is good for the back muscles in this way and can help to alleviate pain from these types of injuries.

When a person exercises regularly their bones get stronger. This may be because the blood circulation also helps the bones to strengthen themselves, and if the bones in the back are strengthened then the back has better support.

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Foods That Reduce High Blood Pressure

Protein is one of the foods that reduce high blood pressure. A diet with greater protein lowers blood pressure more than a diet high in carbohydrates.

Replacing Some Carbohydrates with Protein and Unsaturated Fat May Enhance Heart Health Benefits: The types of food eaten in an effort to cut down on saturated fat may make a difference in reducing heart disease risk, according to a study of people with either high blood pressure or prehypertension.

The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes of Health.

Investigators evaluated three diets that follow the principles of NHLBI’s DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan with some modifications. One diet emphasized carbohydrates, another diet emphasized protein, and the third emphasized monounsaturated fat.

They reported that while all three diets reduced high blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels, and reduced ten-year risk of heart disease by as much as 16 to 21 percent, two of these modified diets were even more effective in reducing some risk factors and estimated risk for heart disease than the diet richer in carbohydrates.

The Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial to Prevent Heart Disease (OmniHeart) study will be presented today in Dallas at the American Heart Association annual conference, and also published in the November 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

These new OmniHeart study results do not represent new guidelines for healthy eating and the proportions of carbohydrate, protein, and fat for all three diets are all within the ranges recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other national public health organizations. Earlier in 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services incorporated NHLBI’s DASH eating plan as one option within the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

All of the studied diets are a vast improvement over the typical American diet which can be high in saturated fat and low in essential nutrients, according to NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. “This study builds on an established body of evidence that shows following a dietary pattern lower in saturated fat, such as the DASH eating plan, can go a long way toward improving overall heart health.

With these new data, we have been able to incorporate even more flexibility into the DASH eating plan by providing additional options for people seeking to improve their heart health through healthier eating,” said Nabel. The study results reinforce the health benefits of following a DASH-type eating plan and suggests that tweaking certain components within that plan—protein and unsaturated fat—may yield benefits for specific risk factors.

Compared with the study diet containing more carbohydrates, the diet with greater protein:

• lowered blood pressure, LDL “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides, and

• lowered HDL “good” cholesterol. The diet with more unsaturated fat, primarily monounsaturated fat:

• lowered blood pressure and triglycerides,

• raised HDL, and

• did not lower LDL.

By providing all daily meals to 164 men and women for 41 days for each diet, researchers evaluated the three diets to determine whether replacing calories from saturated fat with calories from protein or unsaturated fat was better than replacing those calories with carbohydrate. Saturated fat is known to raise blood cholesterol, and public health officials recommend that it make up less than 10 percent of daily calories for healthy individuals and less than 7 percent of daily calories for individuals with heart disease risk factors.

Participants were age 30 or older and had either high blood pressure or prehypertension at the time of enrollment. “These new findings open the door to further research on the diets’ long-term effects and the ability of people to follow these diets,” said Eva Obarzanek, Ph.D., NHLBI research nutritionist and study co-author.

The OmniHeart study diets differed from each other in several ways:

• The diet emphasizing carbohydrates contained 58 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 15 percent of calories from protein. In addition, it contained 21 percent of calories from unsaturated fat. The other two diets reduced carbohydrate to 48 percent of calories.

• The diet emphasizing protein increased the protein to 25 percent of calories. To increase protein, mostly plant sources, such as beans and nuts, were used, although poultry, egg substitutes, and fat-free or low-fat milk products were also used. Like the carbohydrate diet, it contained 21 percent of calories from unsaturated fat.

• The diet emphasizing unsaturated fat used primarily fats and oils rich in monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, to increase unsaturated fat to 31 percent of calories.Like the carbohydrate diet, it contained 15 percent of calories from protein.

“Our results emphasize the impact that diet can have on blood pressure and cholesterol levels, two of the major heart disease risk factors,” said Lawrence Appel, M.D., M.P.H., of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and lead investigator of the OmniHeart study. The OmniHeart study did not address other types of diets such as the Atkins or Mediterranean diet. The OmniHeart study was conducted at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The first participants started the protocol in 2003, and the last participants ended the study in June 2005. NHLBI has long recommended changes in lifestyle, including following a heart healthy eating plan to reduce risk factors for heart disease. The DASH eating plan was developed through a series of clinical studies that showed that a dietary pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, and whole grains substantially reduced blood pressure and had other beneficial effects.

The eating plan also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, legumes, and nuts and is low in saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, and sweets and added sugars. The new DASH Eating Plan menus are included in the book A Healthier You published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This newly released book is based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Sources: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Natural Cures and Natural Remedies

Disclaimer: The information and opinions on this website is for information purposes only and is believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the author. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries.

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