May 23, 2024. Blog post written by Dr. Marnie Hansen, DC. Salt Lake City, UT. 10 quick tips for relieving low back pain.
Low back pain can be a real bugger, simply put. It can nag and drag on, wake you up, or make it hard to sit or concentrate at work. Getting in and out of the car can be a task, as can our daily responsibilities like vacuuming, brushing your teeth or leaning over the sink to do dishes.
Ouch.
Not to mention the more severe pains that keep you from walking, or doing just about anything without that "catch" in the low back literally catching you off guard with lightening bolts of "hot-poker" like pain. Coughing, sneezing, or bearing down to use the restroom... dreadful. Sometimes crawling is the easiest form of transportation with the more acute forms of low back pain, and that's saying something.
So, what is one to do?
When it comes to low back pain, the more you know, the more you know what to do.
Seeking out help from your trusted physician is always recommended, but sometimes getting to your doctors office can be a painful ordeal (no pun intended) in and of itself. Not to fear, most of the following simple tips you can do on your own as you wait on your next appointment!
It is estimated that 75-85% of adults will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. Some common conditions that cause low back pain are disc herniation, postural stress, repetitive microtrauma (desk sitting, etc.), scoliosis, lumbar spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, sciatica, fracture, facet syndrome, spondylolisthesis, traumatic injury such as whiplash, sprains and strains. These are to name a few.
Our bodies have been uniquely our own since birth. We've taken falls and spills and withstood injuries that have altered our biomechanics, gait and posture. Thank goodness for neuroplasticity (nervous system learning new movements and posture), and our nervous system learning how to compensate for these injuries.
On the same token, compensation patterns of the body in response to an injury can be a recipe for pain. In my office, I call this the "wind up" effect:
Think of a car driving on misaligned tires. Over time, wear and tear will develop and either you have to change out the tires or there will be a blowout. In any case, your car will likely alert you to the issue.
When the overused, or compensating muscles (that are doing a good job protecting the old injury, mind you) have "wound up" so tightly in their compensation patterns, a "blowout" is likely to happen at some point.
If an injury or overuse of the spine goes unchecked and untreated, we can spend years moving around on an unstable foundation, or posture. This pattern is learned and unconscious, as seen with compensatory patterns (such as walking on the uninjured leg to protect a sprained ankle). These deeply ingrained patterns "wind up" over time, and typically present in my office as over-tightened muscles and misaligned spines.
Symptoms, in theory, are typically faulty movement patterns in the body that have taken years to build to the level of acute or chronic pain. As the wear and tear of a tire takes time, so does the wear and tear of the body.
The symptom, or alert system, is your friend. It tells you when an unconscious pattern like poor posture needs to be worked on or changed.
As painful as it is, I tell my patients that symptoms are good. Times of acute pain and inflammation are perfect opportunities to reassess and tune up some bad postural habits. It's an opportunity to give your body some attention, and make positive changes in your health. Symptoms are only the tip of the ice berg, telling you to dive deeper to see what's going on underneath the surface.
So, if your internal alert system has been slowly building to a climax, or suddenly set off it's alarm and red lights in the form of pain, this is good. It's your body telling you to get to the root cause of the issue, and address it.
If someone comes in to my office with any kind of back pain, the following are the first recommendations I make for my patients.
Ice or Heat
Which one is best? I am often asked.
According to my Eastern Medicine colleagues, heat is typically the go-to. And for good reason. Heat dilates the capillaries and blood vessels, opening them up so that blood flow can increase to the tissues. And the more blood flow in, the more nutrients are delivered to the tissues for healing.
The more blood flow in, the more blood flow out, as well. As the blood vessels are dilated, they are able to circulate more toxins and waste products, such as lactic acid, out of the muscles and tissues in question. So, in my opinion, heat can be a wise choice.
I do find, however, that ice seems to reduce the pain more effectively in my acute care clients, like my whiplash or disc injury patients. There have been studies showing that ice can slow down the tissue healing. likely due to the fact that it slows blood flow. Yet, it does effectively provide relief as it acts as a tissue and blood vessel constrictor, and can be effective at squeezing waste products out of the tissues just as you would squeeze out a sponge or wet towel.
Be mindful, as too much icing can be damaging to the tissues. Icing for the first few days of injury is best, before switching to heat. My recommendation to my patients is no more than 20 minute sessions of icing, making sure to put a towel in between your skin and the ice. Ice the location that feels throbby or painful, and you can ice up to five times a day, with one hour breaks in between.
So, is it ice or is it heat? Always run this question by your doctor. I tell my patients to listen to their body. For some, heat is their preference from the beginning, and I typically find this is most helpful for stiff and inflexible backs. Acute and more painful injuries respond well to ice in the first few days to a week, before switching over to heat.
Using the instinct of your body, or your inner Physician, as well as the advice of your hired physician is the best.
Healthy Movement
Movement is life!
If this isn't my motto, I don't know what is. Movement improves blood flow, and has a similar effect to heat. Movement also aids in muscle tissue health and healing.
Too much movement of injured tissues and muscles can increase inflammation, tissue damage and pain. Too little leaves the injury stiff and without proper circulation or nutrition. Finding a healthy balance is key.
Nothing beats a slow paced walk to get the circulation flowing and the body healing. Some of my clients even report that running helps with their back pain, though I am cautious to recommend running with acute injuries. Rest can often be best, in some cases.
Sometimes movement can flare up the pain, or the injury is so acute that not a lot of movement is possible. This is where I recommend slow, easy movements in bed, or on the floor. Movement that feels good! (within reason, of coarse)
Bringing your knees up to your chest, or as close it as you can, while laying on your back can be relieving for many people. Slow and easy "windshield wiper" twisting movements back and forth with the knees can help loosen the back up as well (though do be mindful with disc injury).
This is where I always recommend that you:
Listen to Your Body
Your body knows best. It wants to protect over-inflamed tissues from further damage, and will alert you if you are doing too much. If you are in acute pain, move as much as reasonably possible without spiking painful episodes.
The body is a self healing mechanism, and is innately intelligent. Here is a typical discussion I have with my patients on the wisdom of the body:
"Let's say you cut your arm. What does the body do?"
"Well, first it bleeds," the patient usually says.
"Yes, and then what?"
"The blood clots and it forms a scab," they say.
"Yes. And inflammatory products rush to the wound to heal it, right?"
"Yes."
"And then it will eventually form a scar, correct?"
"Yep."
"So how does the body know how to do this?"
"The cells. They know what to do."
"Yes, and how do the cells know what to do?"
"Cell programming?"
"Yes, and how do the cells know what program to follow?"
This is usually when I get a blank stare in response.
How do the cells know what to do, at a basic level, for healing?
The answer is Innate Intelligence. Our bodies innately know how to heal, and all the signals and signs it sends you, it does so for a reason. By providing an environment (and/or therapy) that is conducive to healing, the body tends to do great work in this department.
Listen to your body, it knows what it is doing.
Support the Spine
As you listen to your body, it will tell you what positions it likes, or doesn't like, as it heals. For instance, does it hurt your low back as you lay flat on your back? Does it hurt to get into your car, or sit in an unsupported car seat and drive? Does sitting or standing bother you more?
Listen to what your body tells you. And then support it.
I find that patients who are struggling with low back pain find a lot of relief with spinal support. I suggest keeping a rolled up towel on hand for these reasons. Some patients like to put the rolled up towel behind their back to help them sleep or sit with more comfort.
When sitting at a desk, finding a proper support (like the rolled up towel or bolster/pillow) can help take the pressure and pain out of the back. Finding a supportive chair (or exercise ball) can be helpful, too.
It's also been my experience that supporting the feet with properly fitted orthotics has worked wonders for low back comfort with many of my patients.
Listen to the cue's of your body and don't hesitate to support it as it needs in times of more intense pain. The innate wisdom of your body knows what it needs to heal.
Self Massage
Finding any relief in the times of back pain can take the edge off your day. You may find that you are naturally rubbing the tender muscles in your back to give it some relief. This is good!
Of coarse, over doing it is a thing, too. But I like to incorporate tools to help with my self massage as it is sometimes hard to get your hands back to your low back.
A Lacrosse ball always comes in helpful at my office. You can put it in the small of your back and lean against a wall to get a small self-massage out of it. Find the spot that hurts and roll it out. Throwing two Lacrosse balls in a sock and rolling on either side of your spine can feel divine!
I am also a big fan of foam rollers. Rolling out the glutes, hammies and quads often takes the painful pull out of the low back. Laying back on the foam roller to roll out the mid to low back and hips can take some pressure off the low back as well.
And of coarse, I find a massage chair whenever possible in these times. I know that getting a pedicure, I'm likely guaranteed to be seated in a massage chair. If you are unable to get to a massage therapist, finding creative self massage tricks and techniques can be key.
Epsom Salt Bath
Not only is the hot water deeply penetrating and relaxing to the muscles, but the negative ions from the salt can be deeply nourishing and healing for inflamed tissues. I always recommend an Epsom Salt Bath for muscle spasm and tightness. It's a good old fashioned cure all! Follow up with plenty of water.
Plus, baths can not only feel amazing, but be fun!
Spinal Exercises
I do a thorough assessment before prescribing exercises to my patients, in order to make sure they are getting the best movement therapy for their condition. I have found that for acute and severe low back pain, there are many reliable exercises that provide relief.
First, you want to ask yourself: does my back prefer to bend forward? Or, does it provide me more relief to bend back? I suggest listening to your body, and not pushing into anything that it can't do. In times of back pain, finding the position that provides most relief is the wisdom of your body telling you what movement or position is helpful for healing.
(Videos for these exercises are in the works and will be added to the blog soon! In the meantime, YouTube is an excellent resource for these exercises).
Typically for disc pain or radiculopathy issues, my patients find McKenzie exercises to be very helpful. You can test this out for yourself by lowering yourself to the floor and simply laying on your belly. If this hurts too much, don't do it. But if it relieves your back discomfort or pain, that's a sign that it can be helpful.
If laying on your belly doesn't recreate the pain, try pushing yourself up to your elbows, or even up to your hands while your belly is still on the ground, arching up a bit. If this isn't painful, this exercise can be helpful to hang out in for 30 seconds or so, once an hour, indefinitely, until the pain subsides.
Some people find more relief with forward bends, or laying on their backs and bringing their knees up to their chest. I see this in general arthritic or facet syndrome issues.
In any case, once you are in the clear from severe pain, and you can safely get on your hands and knees for a supportive exercise, I recommend looking up The Quadruped (or bird dog) exercise. I have found that once my patients are able to perform this exercise, they see much more rapid improvement in their pain than not. Be mindful of balance, and have someone walk you through this exercise, if need be. Add glute engagement exercises, like the bridges, for better long term pain management, and foundational support.
Be Mindful of What You Put In Your Body
Your body needs hydration in times of pain. Not only is it nourishing and lubricating to the joints and tissues, but it helps flush out lactic acid and waste products from the damaged muscles and tissues. Spring water, or filtered water with added minerals and Magnesium would be my optimum recommendation for proper hydration.
Try to avoid sugar during times of pain and inflammation, if you can. Too much sugar or carbohydrate intake can raise inflammation in the body, and can have a negative affect on pain and proper healing. I typically steer my patients away from sugar dense foods during times of acute, or even chronic pain.
Reach for nourishing and colorful fruits and veggies, and stick to healthy proteins. Grass fed, organic steak and bone broth are my faves for providing proper nourishment to the tissues when healing. Consider liver for B vitamins. Wild caught fish or locally farmed steak for proper omega 3's. Beet juice is sublime!
Think protein.
Protein is an important building block for healing. Try to aim for half your body weight in grams of protein when on the healing track. Be mindful of how your protein drinks are processed, as some contain higher levels of heavy metals from the manufacturing process. I'm more of a carnivore, personally, as the protein from healthy, well raised organic and grass fed meat is highly digestible.
Whatever your nutrition preference, make sure to eat a nutrient dense diet packed with proteins and healthy fats, when the body needs to heal.
Consider a TENS Machine
Always check with your Doc on this, and make sure there are no contra-indications, like pace makers, pregnancy, epilepsy, or other conditions. For the most part, TENS machines are very safe and can be a helpful aid in reducing back pain.
More information:
Get Adjusted!
Chiropractic is a growing and successful profession for a reason. It is widely known (and researched!) for it's natural approach to healing back pain. As a bonus, it's also affordable and accessible.
Chiropractors are well trained in assessing for conditions that could benefit from adjusting the back. They are trained in triage, or knowing what spinal conditions to refer out to other disciplines, as well. Getting checked is the first step in knowing what to do for yourself, and they are trained in performing thorough examinations.
As with most natural therapies, healing takes time, and there is no quick fix pill. Just as it's taken your body time to "wind up" and express painful symptoms, it takes time to heal properly and effectively.
Sometimes one adjustment does the trick. Typically it takes a series of adjustments to reset and correct the spinal movement issue. Every body, and every recovery process is different.
Just like building your fitness at the gym, the body responds to a series of positive inputs over a period of time. Lasting and meaningful change at the gym can take 90 days or more. Painful issues thankfully don't always take that long to address, but changing your posture follows the same premise.
Time + positive input = lasting change
A good Chiropractor will look at your posture and assess your movement patterns. Then adjust and make recommendations accordingly. In many cases, getting adjusted can feel great for the low back right away, but lasting change always takes time.
Dr. Marnie Hansen, DC is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Salt Lake City. She specializes in spinal injury, including whiplash, work injury, neck and back pain. Other specialties include Women's Health and Pelvic Floor Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy and nerve issues.
To learn more, or schedule a consultation, visit doctormarnie.com.
Comments