Things You'll Need:
- Firm mattress
- Weight reduction
- Heating pads
- Medications (****, ****, ****, soma, naproxen etc)
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Step 1
Improper positioning of spine while you are asleep contributes to chronic lower back pain. Soft mattresses fail to maintain a normal curvature of the spine while you are asleep. This results in pinching of nerves between the spinal bones (vertebrae). Firm mattress provides a good support to your back bone while you are asleep.
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Step 2
Obesity is an important cause of chronic lower back pain. It is easy to understand its relationship with the pain: the more you weigh, the more strain this will put on your backbone. In fact obesity not only puts extra load on your spine but also the other weight bearing joints such as knees, hips and ankles. This is the reason why these joints get involved frequently in overweight people. Mechanical stress erodes the cartilage that covers and protects the two bone surfaces that are in contact with each other in a joint. Losing weight is therefore key to management of back pain
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Step 3
Heat therapy can alleviate pain. I recommend doing it every day at least for 30 minutes. Heat causes local vasodilation that increases the blood flow to the inflamed tissues. This helps to flush out the inflammatory substances that are collected in the inflamed bones and muscles. Many of these substances are pain mediators.
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Step 4
Muscle rubs also work by the same mechanisms as heat therapy does. Rubs however cause vasodilation by reflex mechanisms.
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Step 5
A significant portion of the back pain is due to the spasm of back muscles. Muscle stretching techniques may be used to gently relax the tight muscles. A manual massage may also do the same trick.
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Step 6
Medications usually prescribed for chronic lower back pain are **** or ****, ****, soma, ibuprofen, naproxen, meloxicam, other narcotic medications and more. All of these should be taken in consultation with your health care provider.
Comments
shahbasharat said
on 5/2/2009 i dont know why **** or **** and **** did not appear in the article. but they are important medicines used to treat chronic pain
gary912 said
on 4/13/2008 Stretch. Don't slouch. Get a therapeutic massage from a licensed massage therapist. It is the best remedy of all. Sometimes orthopedic docs would rather cut up your spine than send you to a chiropractor or massage therapist, but both of these types of practitioners will provide effective pain relief for low back muscles. Then, it will be up to you to keep them pain free!
Abeetome said
on 4/11/2008 Good Stuff To Know
CCrock said
on 4/11/2008 I'm also a side sleeper and putting a pillow between my knees makes a big difference. Also, a warm bath with one pound of epsom salt for at least 30 minutes really improves my back pain. Also stretching and doing yoga really helps my bad back.
MarkfromOz said
on 4/11/2008 The above article is a very broad approach from an MD's ( Basharat Shah )point of view. Although i don't disagree with the comments, they are a very basic and simplistic approach to back pain. As a musculo-skeletal therapist, we also consider the alignment of the hips and vertebrae which is crucial in diagnosing back pain & dysfunction. The muscles & ligaments hold the structure of the bones together and in balance. When muscles tighten through exercise, work, stress etc. etc. they shorten and can change the position/alignment of bones. Such misalignments can be painful locally and also remotely by way of referred pain such as pinched or irritated nerve roots. A qualified therapist knows how to identify poor alignment and the underlying muscles that are perpetuating the imbalance. The next step is to correct the musclular imbalances via remedial massage, myofascial release & stretching.