When your back hurts, it’s important to take it seriously. No, we’re not suggesting that everyone with a sore back should go running to the hospital immediately, but you should be proactive in treating it.
Some cases of back pain are serious and do need medical treatment, but most of the time, you can get by with some home remedies. If your back pain is not excruciating or long-lasting, you can follow the steps below to have a better back in 14 days.
To help you understand more about what you should do for your back pain, we broke our steps down into short-term solutions and long-term solutions.
Short-term solutions
- Rest — If you notice that your back is starting to hurt, get some rest. Don’t try to be tough and push through back pain and be physically active. This can make the pain worse and result in a more serious injury.
- Pain medication — Over-the-counter pain medication and anti-inflammatory medication can help reduce back pain. For minor back pain, you should be able to get by on what you can find in a convenience store. For more serious pain, your physician may prescribe more powerful medication.
- Icing and heating — Applying ice to a sore back can help reduce inflammation and pain. Apply ice a couple times a day for a few days. After a few days, you can switch to heat, which is more soothing on the pain. It’s important that you wait a couple of days before heating, because heat can make inflammation worse.
Long-term solutions
- Exercise — Staying physically active can help keep the muscles in your core and back strong and flexible. This helps provide support for your body and reduces pressure off your spine that could be causing pain.
- Improve your posture — Sitting or standing hunched over puts a lot of pressure on your muscles and spine. This kind of pain is easily preventable by correcting your posture. Keep your back straight when standing and sitting. Square your shoulders with your chest and keep your chin up.
- Listen to your body — Pay attention to your body and learn what causes back pain and how to prevent it. Avoid situations that you know hurt your back and be aware of when pain is setting in, so you can stop doing what’s causing it and focus on treatment.
Contact Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy for back pain treatment
Sometimes, back pain is too much to take on by yourself. In these cases, you’ll want to trust healthcare professionals who know best how to treat physical conditions. We’re talking about physical therapists.
Would you like to talk to one of our physical therapists at Peak Performance about treating your back pain? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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