How to Alleviate Chronic Back Pain: The 13 Most Effective Tips
Despite being so common and bothersome, not many people know how to alleviate chronic back pain. Back pain is the most common cause of muscle and bone discomfort, and it’s estimated that 85% of all people in the world will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Most back pains last no more than 4 weeks (acute pain), but there is a percentage that becomes chronic (lasting more than 3 months). This type of pain can become quite intense and may even interfere with our daily activities. In this article, we will provide you with some tips you can implement to alleviate the pain you may be experiencing.
List of the 13 most effective tips to alleviate chronic back pain
1. Exercise: The Foundation of Chronic Back Pain Treatment
Exercise is essential when you have pain for more than 1 month. There is ample scientific evidence demonstrating that exercise improves back pain. Contrary to popular belief, resting for more than 2 days could be harmful, as explained in this Choosing Wisely Canada publication.
How does exercise alleviate my back pain?
When we injure ourselves, such as the back, changes occur in cells and their function, which in turn trigger and amplify pain. It has been observed in experiments that exercise reverses the injury damage. Also, applying controlled pressure to the back discs improves their nutrition since they don’t have a proper blood circulation.
Another way exercise helps alleviate chronic back pain is by reducing anxiety, stress, and depression, which are associated with feeling more pain when suffering from these conditions. Lastly, positive effects have been demonstrated on joints and muscles through exercise.
What type of exercise can we do to specifically alleviate chronic back pain?
The good news is that no specific type of exercise has been proven better than others, according to the evidence, but it’s essential to individualize the decision. You can choose the exercise you like the most or have the most access to. For example, if you live near a park, you can go for a walk. It’s also crucial to seek advice before exercising and always keep in mind the risks involved, such as sprains, falls, or more dangerous activities like swimming or if you have heart conditions.
2. Heat to Reduce Chronic Back Pain
Heat should be applied at low temperatures. Usually, cold should not be applied to chronic pain, but if it provides relief, it can be applied.
How is heat applied to the back?
If you thought it was with well-known heat-cold creams, you are mistaken. Heat should be applied using physical means, such as cushions, pads, or sacks containing materials that can retain heat.
How does heat work on muscle injuries?
It increases blood flow to the muscles, thereby improving oxygenation and nutrition. It also relieves chronic back pain by reducing muscle tension, increasing flexibility, and making exercise more tolerable (that’s why we are advised to warm up before physical activity).
How long should heat be applied?
It should be applied for 20 minutes, a maximum of every 2 hours, but the frequency can be adjusted as needed. If you are working or have a busy day, applying heat before leaving home and upon returning home could be beneficial.
3. Relaxation Techniques Do Alleviate Chronic Back Pain
According to scientific evidence, the two techniques that work are cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness practice for extended periods (from 6 months to 1 year). These techniques can be practiced in short periods during the day without having to leave work or home. We will discuss relaxation techniques more in other articles.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy should be accompanied by a professional. According to UpToDate, the basis is that our thoughts interact with our actions reciprocally. In simpler terms, if we are more aware of our thoughts, we can change our actions to interact better with the environment.
4. Weight Control to Alleviate Chronic Back Pain
According to studies (I’ll leave the link to one, but you can find more at the end of the article), obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for lumbar pain. This demonstrates that it would be a good idea to try to control our weight to be below a BMI of 25 (overweight).
As one of the best hospitals in the United States mentions, losing weight not only helps with back pain but also reduces the risk of knee problems. I’ll leave the link to one of our articles where we talk about how to lose weight without “going on a diet.”
5. Back Stretches
According to a study involving 228 adults with chronic low back pain, performing 11 minutes of stretching (30 seconds in each position) improved pain. The program lasted for 6 months and found it effective for long-term treatment of low back pain.
6. Practice Yoga
Another article found that for chronic back pain, practicing yoga is quite effective. You don’t need to join a gym or hire a certified instructor (although you can if it helps with posture technique). There are YouTube videos where you can follow an instructor from the comfort of your home and using your mobile phone.
What is more effective for chronic low back pain, yoga or stretches?
Like with the type of exercise (cardiovascular, weightlifting, etc.), according to medical literature, there are no significant differences in pain relief; both are effective.
7. To Alleviate and Prevent Chronic Back Pain, Take Care of Your Posture and Ergonomics at Work
Ergonomics is the study of how people can work more efficiently and without injury at work. Ideally, work should adapt to us. Many things can improve our ergonomics at work, such as chairs, keyboards, mice, or desks. However, we know that not everyone works in an office, and you need to think more about how to improve your workspace and even your way of working.
What are the risk factors at work?
- Repetitive movements – office workers or laborers
- Jobs that require excessive force – loaders, mechanics, among others
- Uncomfortable postures – mechanics, builders, dentists, etc.
- Vibration – especially with machines, for example, sanders, chainsaws, or on the roads
- Cold temperatures
- Static postures – office workers or laborers
8. Back Massages Help Reduce Chronic Pain
It’s not a solution to make your back pain disappear forever, but studies have concluded that it’s effective in the short term for improving perceived pain. This means that if it helps you, you can give it a try. It’s a treatment that doesn’t require payment; it’s enough for someone to apply some cream or gel and use gentle pressure movements.
9. Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
Medication therapy should be considered a last resort; however, the utility of medications for short-term relief of back pain for 1 or 2 days should be recognized. Medications should not be taken for more days unless your primary care physician evaluates and prescribes it. Usually, paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the safest option, but again, consult your doctor for an evaluation.
10. TENS: A Device That Could Reduce Your Chronic Back and Muscle Pain
Although medical literature is always a good starting point for treating diseases, there are less precise results when it comes to the use of TENS as a treatment for chronic back pain. However, it is a tool used in physical therapy and rehabilitation for acute pain relief.
Personally, I have one at home and can say that it has worked for me to avoid taking medication when I have lower back or muscle pain. However, it doesn’t prevent the pain from returning in a few days; usually, sessions are conducted over several days for better results. I don’t see this as a drawback, as often, not feeling pain in the moment and being pain-free for at least 8 hours is sufficient.
There are various types available at varying prices on Amazon, but Beurer is a brand that produces devices commonly used in medical settings, so we recommend purchasing more mainstream devices from health-focused brands.
Who cannot use TENS?
In general, pregnant people or those with a cardiac pacemaker (among others) should not use TENS. However, you should consult a healthcare professional for evaluation (in this case, with your gynecologist or cardiologist). We should always read the instructions provided with any device, as each one may have its variations.
11. Acupuncture for Chronic Back Pain Relief
Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for short-term relief of back pain, according to UpToDate. It shows results within the first 7 days of treatment, and its effectiveness is scientifically documented. It has also been found to be beneficial for chronic lower back pain.
This could be an option for people who prefer to try slightly more invasive alternative therapies (provided they are scientifically grounded), always under the guidance of a certified professional.
12. Spinal Manipulation for Chronic Pain
It involves moving the spine beyond the usual final range of motion but never beyond the anatomical range of motion. According to a study, it demonstrated positive effects in relieving back pain in the short term, and others have found the same results in the long term (1 year).
Adverse events are serious and real: increased disc herniation or cauda equina syndrome (just know that the final neurons are compressed, and it’s an emergency requiring surgery). However, serious adverse events are very rare (UpToDate).
13. Stop drinking Alcohol to Reduce Back Pain
According to the Mexican clinical practice guideline and the 2004 European guidelines, alcohol consumption is a risk factor for lower back pain. The common belief that having a glass of wine every day is fine has been dispelled by recent research, which has found that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. This can be confirmed on the World Health Organization’s website.
Red flags for chronic back pain
In medicine, we use the term “red flags” to explain that most of the time, diseases can be managed at home, with a general practitioner, or that the disease is following its normal course, but if there are red flags that suggest the disease may not be what we thought, that it can no longer be treated at home, or that it requires evaluation by a specialist. I will list the most important ones here, but there are obviously many others, although less likely. Specifically, for back pain, they include:
- History of trauma or fall
- Unexplained weight loss without diet or exercise or unplanned weight loss
- Neurological symptoms: urinary incontinence, tingling or numbness in the body, loss of strength or paralysis, altered state of alertness, among others
- Age over 50
- Fever
- People who use intravenous drugs and have back pain
- Use of steroids (for example, people with bone and joint diseases who take them regularly)
- History of cancer
Conclusion on How to Alleviate Chronic Back Pain
The most important takeaway from this article is that we should exercise if we want to alleviate back pain. Additionally, we can use other methods, with meditation and local heat being the most effective. It’s also important to have products such as massage creams, TENS devices, or medications that can help us control pain in the short term. Lastly, we should take care of our posture at work, be aware of the risks in our work environment, and always seek evaluation from a doctor, especially if there are red flags suggesting that our back pain might be something more serious.
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