Instant relief for Back pain at Home

Most of us would like to have a Back pain cured instantly at home wherever you are in whether in London or anywhere in the world. We do not have the luxury to take time off work or see best back spine specialist for advice. But today research shows that the longer the time of rest in bed the worst days for the recovering from back pain. It may actually delay your recovery.

My advice is to find a comfortable position and keep moving. In this way, your recovery will be much faster and you will be back in action very quickly. Even simple activities like gentle walking will help relax your muscles from the spasm and improve muscle flexibility. But, if the pain is severe then, lying down for a day or two will help control the pain much better.

Stop physical activity for a few days. Bed rest for more NOT than 3 days. A few days rest will help calm your back pain as more rest is bad for back pain. This will help you with instant relief of your Back pain.

Lying for longer periods also causes a change in the shape of your spine. Your spine becomes more flat and it alters the way it functions. Some studies show that the size of your disc increases and there is a risk of disc prolapse. As the strength of the muscles of your spine that help you with your forward and backward movements reduces, your spine becomes less stable. This can lead to prolonged Back pain.

This helps with instant control your back pain. Some are comfortable with a hot water bottle as it helps muscles to relax. But others find a cold compress useful as it reduces the inflammation.

Choose what you feel that is comfortable for you. Both methods give the same result in Back pain. Do not use them for more than 5 minutes at a time.

Cold compress is most helpful in the first 48 hours of back pain. It helps creative to achieve an area of numbness without burning the skin. This numbness helps you move your back as the pain is not felt during this time. Longer application of ice more than five minutes can cause skin burn.

After 48 hours, hot compress is more useful for your back pain. Make sure it does not burn your skin. It should be at the right temperature so that the heat goes down your muscles to give you a very soothing effect. Do not apply the hot compress for more than 15 to 20 minutes. There are two types of hot compress with 1) dry heat and 2) moist heat.

Take your time to find out the type of hot compress that works the best for you.

Most of us try an anti-inflammatory gel or ointment that can be applied over the painful area of your back. This is a very safe practice and it also helps to massage the area gently to relieve the Back pain. It works directly on the skin and muscles. The side-effects are far less than Oral medications.

The most commonly used over the counter pain medications are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Paracetamol and Neurofen (Brufen).

Your general practitioner usually prescribes naproxen which is considered to be a safer medication as it has lesser side-effects. A muscle relaxant like diazepam can also be added to reduce the muscle spasm, anxiety and help you relax and sleep better.

Sometimes NSAIDs and muscle relaxants may not be sufficient to control long-lasting and chronic backpain. In these patients an opioid or narcotic medication may be necessary. These are stronger medications that work on the brain cells with the risk of getting addicted or dependent on them. Examples are morphine tramadol and codeine.

If all this above medication does not work or if your pain is very severe, then corticosteroid injections can be considered. These injections are given into the space over the spinal-cord (Caudal Epidural Injection) or around the nerve roots of your spine (Nerve Root Injection) or into the facet joints (Facet Joint Injection).

Mild stretches loosens your tense back muscles that are in spasm (a feeling of tightness). It is a good idea to take each step gently as any stretches may worsen the Back pain can cause damage to the muscles.

These stretches need to be simple with gentle forward bending, backward bending and mild twisting within the limit of your Back pain. Once you get used to it, regular stretching can ease your back pain effectively.

We all spend most of your time sitting down. This may be during eating, reading, watching TV or at work. Your posture may be more harmful than you realise and contributes to making your back pain worse.

Look carefully at your posture, pay a little attention and make sure that your back are lined up nicely in a straight line while standing, sitting and during all the activities of daily living.