Alternative ways of getting rid of your back pain…

As previously suggested, one very simple, effective but completely natural way of getting rid of your back pain is to stay in bed for a couple of days. Alternatively, if you are already someone who suffers chronic back problem or perhaps someone who falls into a high risk category for back pain in the future, you should consider making whatever lifestyle changes are necessary so that you become stronger, fitter and healthier. In this way, you will reduce or completely remove the possibility of ever suffering back pain problems again.

This is all very well and good, but if you already have back pain, there is no doubt that you want to know how to get rid of it as quickly and effectively as possible. Furthermore, by the fact that you are reading this book, it is clear that you are looking for a natural back pain solution, which is what you are going to read about in the next few chapters

The method of back pain relief that you seek will be very much dependent upon the cause of that back pain. If your back pain is caused by a serious medical condition (e.g. a fracture suffered as a result of osteoporosis or a slipped disc), then treating your back pain at home is not going to be an appropriate course of action.

However, given the fact that the majority of back pain problems will be caused by muscle strains or ligament pulls, we are going to focus on treatment that can be used to address pain caused by non-critical conditions. In essence, if you have back pain caused by muscle strains or a pull, this is a situation that you can treat at home in a natural manner.
If it is anything worse, however, your back pain is likely to be something that requires medical treatment.

Heat and ice treatment…

Both heat and ice treatments can be used to deal with back pain from muscles, with the most suitable choice depending upon the reason for the pain.

If you have suffered some kind of back muscle injury, the first thing to ascertain is whether there is any swelling or inflammation. If there is no swelling, you are probably best advised to use heat to reduce the pain, because applying heat to a muscle increases its flexibility and elasticity. Especially if activity is in the offing (even if it is only having to go to work), applying heat is probably more appropriate than applying an ice pack to your damaged muscles. In this way, you will encourage movement in your muscles, which is going to enable you to use them as and when it becomes necessary without suffering an undue degree of pain.

Because heat increases blood flow and skin temperature, you can apply an appropriate source of heat to your muscles for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. As moist heat is best, you could try using a hot towel or you could use a special athletic heat device or application on the injured area. There are also quite a few websites where you can buy natural heat applications like the National Allergy site. Alternatively, there might be times when applying ice to your injury could be more appropriate. Although it is generally believed that applying an ‘ice pack’ of some description to any muscle injury is the best idea, heat works best for chronic pain.

If you are in the situation where your back pain is caused by an obvious injury where there may be swelling or inflammation, then application of an ice pack is likely to work better than applying a heat source. The application of ice acts as a vaso-constrictor, meaning that it will cause your blood vessels to narrow and that will limit internal bleeding and swelling. Apply ice to the affected area (wrapped in a cloth or towel to prevent discomfort or ‘ice burn’) for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. After application, allow your skin temperature to return to normal before repeating the process as many times as necessary.
This is a process that you can repeat as many times as necessary for three or four days, but if after that, the problem still persists, you should seek appropriate medical advice.

If your back pain is caused by excess or unaccustomed physical activity or exercise, then the application of an ice pack may be the most appropriate solution. This is confirmed by the fact that cold therapy is often used by athletes who are trying to treat muscle pain caused by over-activity and the corresponding muscle stress.

If you have a back pain problem, the application of either heat or ice may well help to alleviate the severity of the pain. After assessing the problem, decide which of the two alternatives seems most appropriate, whilst bearing in mind the fact that what is most suitable for one person will not necessarily be most appropriate for another.

You might need to test both alternatives, but if you do so, use cold therapy first because the application of heat could exacerbate any swelling or inflammation, whereas the application of ice tends to be more benign.

Eating for back pain relief…

Perhaps surprisingly, athletes recognize that there are certain foods that you can take on board that can help to reduce or alleviate muscle pains. Of course, the pain relief benefits of eating certain foodstuffs could be as much psychological as they are physical, but it is not important how eating certain foods helps. If they help to relieve your back pain, then it really does not matter how that happens. For instance, it may be that you suffer muscle pains in your back because of deficiencies in your diet, especially if your back pain is a result of exercise or activity to which you are not accustomed.
As an example, when you sweat, you tend to lose minerals and trace elements from your body, and if these minerals are not replaced you may suffer muscle pains and cramps.

A lack of both sodium and potassium can cause cramps and pain, but both can be replaced relatively quickly. Sodium can be ingested in bouillon (beef or chicken would be best, but a vegetable bouillon would also work), while bananas are a tremendous source of potassium. Milk and milk-based dairy products are high in calcium, and calcium is essential for healthy bones and muscles. You should therefore drink a minimum of three glasses of milk a day if you are not taking on board sufficient calcium from other sources. This is particularly true of women who suffer back pain as a result of muscle strains or damage.

Depending upon the cause of your back pain, even plain water can be beneficial. This is especially true if your pain as a result of fluid depletion following exercise, but even if this is not the case, drinking water can help to alleviate back pain. The bottom line is, you are supposed to drink at least eight glasses of water every day to maintain good health, so if you are not already doing so, now is the time to start, back pain or no back pain!