Are You Effectively Managing Lower Back Pain ?
Lower back pain is one of the most common occurrences in the musculoskeletal system that is experienced by anyone. According to the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, more than 80% of people will experience lower back pain at some point or another throughout their lives. This is a staggering percentage, and if anything, it tells us that the prevalence of lower back pain in this country is contributing to a significant proportion of the overall disease burden.
Lower back pain accounts for millions of dollars in lot productivity from workers losing days of work to orthopedist appointments, recovery from surgery, and the overall inability to move as they would like to. While we know that lower back pain is quite common, it does not have to be something that affects all of us negatively. With a certain strategy, we can combat lower back pain and in some cases prevent it from even occurring in our bodies.
A combination of many different self-administered treatment interventions can help manage lower back pain. First, the use of heat cold therapy can help us get the blood flowing to the muscles in this area, getting the cells more oxygen and encouraging a more healthy lower back overall. Then icing the back helps reduce inflammation and using a heating pad clears out all of the lactic acids and other fluids that contribute to pain.
Another way that we can manage lower back pain is to stretch. Static stretching makes our muscles limber and encourages blood flow throughout the body. You can work with a chiropractor to form a stretching routine that you can do on a daily basis to stay loose, keep the muscles functioning, and to keep your back supported.
In relation to static stretching, yoga can be extremely effective in reducing lower back pain. Yoga helps us focus on our breathing while also staying loose and limber and even strengthening our muscles. This increases blood flow and oxygen absorption substantially.
There are so many things that we can do to manage our lower back pain, and it is just a matter of figuring out what works best for us. A chiropractor can be a great resource because he or she can not only perform adjustments to the lower back but also help develop the right plan to address your lower back pain on your own.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Donnie Ray Jones
