Learn to overcome that lumbar pain

Poor sleeping posture, or walking or sitting in an office chair for a long time can be large contributors to lumbar pain that won’t let you rest.  If this is your problem, you should know that there are several options for fighting this unbearable pain that prevents you from fulfilling your daily duties.

Preventing Lumbar pain

You knew that muscular fatigue causes the muscles to contract and this causes pain.  People that use physical strength on the job or that spend a lot of time standing or sitting, athletes in contact sports that strain their spine, are very prone to developing back discomfort.  Being overweight is another factor that predisposes people to suffer from lumbar pain.

Natural remedies for lumbar pain

Lose weight

To alleviate and above all, or prevent back pain caused by efforts or bad movements, you need to start a small exercise routine.

The first thing to do is lose a few more pounds.  If you have a back problem that doesn’t need surgery, you should improve your physical condition.  One very effective exercise is walking while carrying small weights in your hands.

Stretching and strengthening

Other exercises to prevent back pain are those that involve stretching your hips.  You could also practice relaxation disciplines like yoga, taichi, and similar sports.

One relaxation exercise that might be really good for you is while laying down face up, extend your legs and breathe through the nose and exhale through your mouth.  This will help improve pain from a herniated disc.

Aerobics exercises

Low impact aerobics are highly recommended for reconditioning the spine.  People that do these types of exercises have less episodes of back pain.  And those that do experience back pain experience gradually less pain during each episode, which also last for shorter periods of time.

A few examples of low impact aerobics exercises that you could try to lessen lower back pain are walks, stationary bicycling, and water therapy.

For this advice to produce good results, you need to practice them frequently, consistently, and for long periods of time.

Walk softly

Another piece of advice to keep in mind is that direct impact of your footsteps on asphalt could be damaging.  This can cause physical stress that is transmitted to the back and causes pain.  You could prevent this by using insoles that absorb the impact or special shoes built for the same purpose.

Natural medicine

One form of relieving pain and your lumbar problems is through natural medicine.  Prepare hot water and mint compresses.  You could also directly apply the mint soaked in water and apply them to the affected area.

Thyme, rosemary and sage are also very useful muscle relaxers.

Pineapple and papaya work in much the same way.  Both fruits are commonly used by athletes to reduce inflammation and to relax muscles.  You could eat them several times throughout the day, in the morning with breakfast, as a mid-day snack, and in mid-afternoon.

Daily routine

In summary, you should follow these recommendations from day to day to avoid being one more person on the long list of back or spinal pain sufferers.

– You must stretch before exercising.

– Do not slouch, neither standing or sitting.

– Sit in chairs with good lumbar support and in a position and height that is fit for the task.

– Keep your shoulders pulled back.

– Change positions frequently while sitting and walk around the office periodically, or gently stretch your muscles to alleviate tension.

– A pillow or rolled up towel placed behind your lumbar spine could provide a little bit of support and could prevent pain.

– If you need to stay seated for a long period of time, rest your legs on a low stool or a pile of books.

– Sleep on your side to reduce the curvature in your spine.  Always sleep on a firm surface.

– Avoid lifting heavy objects.

Medical appointment

Remember that is you experience any chronic problem or pain, you need to see a doctor.  If your lumbar problem becomes persistent and there is no way to control it with exercises or any other recommendations provided here, do not hesitate to seek immediate professional help.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 05/18/2018

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