Lower back pain may result from lifting heavy things improperly or falling, but it is likely to strike you at some point. Chronic overuse and acute injury may also be a cause of lower back pain. Regardless of why you are experiencing low back pain, here are some ways to fix the issue.
Consume Nutrients That Promote Bone Health
If you have lower back pain, ensure you are taking a healthy diet. A good diet will give you a healthy weight. If you are overweight, your lower back may experience extra strain, which results in severe pain. The other important thing is to consume food that promotes the healthy development of bones.
Nutrients to Watch Out For
- Phosphorus: Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and pudding are rich in phosphorus. Also, consume foods like kidney beans, baked beans, bran cereals, black beans, sardines, oysters, and dark colas.
- Calcium: Consume dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. If you don’t consume dairy, consider foods like cereals, oatmeal, orange juice, and non-dairy kinds of milk. You can also get calcium from veggies such as kale, collard greens, broccoli, and bok choy.
- Vitamin D: Take foods like swordfish, cod liver oil, fortified milk, salmon, fortified cereals, eggs, and sardines.
Get Cold and Hot
If you experience low back pain, take advantage of both heat and ice. When the injury is fresh, use ice, then you can use heat after a day or two. Applying heat immediately after an injury causes the body to release inflammatory compounds. Do not apply heat or ice directly; wrap the ice pack or the heat pack using a cloth. You should avoid sleeping with the heat pack because it can damage your skin.
Sleep Comfortably
Sleeping in the wrong position may cause you to suffer from more back pain. Sleep on your side, then draw your knees up close to the chest. You may also reduce the strain on your back by placing one or two pillows between the legs. Also, consider getting a firm mattress as it reduces lower back pain.
Set up Your Workspace Appropriately
Whether you are working from home or in an office, it is important to ensure that your space is back-friendly. An ergonomic space helps you to prevent severe back pain. Consider the following work tools when setting up your workspace.
- Key objects: Ensure that the things you use most are close to you such that you do not keep on twisting your back trying to reach for them. These could be a stapler, phone, pens, and notepads. Other things are very heavy, and you cannot place them on your desk. Ensure you put them at a distance such that when you need them, you have to stand and prevent back twisting.
- Chair: Ensure that your chair is at a height that allows you to rest your feet on the floor. The hips should also be level with the knee. You may also consider purchasing a lumbar pillow if the chair does not support your back adequately.
- Computer monitor: The top of your screen should be slightly below the eye level. This is because looking too low or too high can have an impact on your posture.
Try Yoga
Yoga is a series of slow and controlled movements that help to strengthen and stretch your body. Yoga can have a short-term effect on lower back pain treatment. It can also minimize stress leading to tension reduction in your back. You may try Child’s Pose, which is very beneficial to your back.
Consider Acupuncture
Practicing acupuncture helps in the treatment of moderate and chronic low back pain. It involves the insertion of small and thin needles in your body to restore efficient energy flow. Acupuncture may also stimulate the production of chemicals that relieve pain in your body.
Conclusion
Low back pain varies from mild to moderate to severe. Your daily activities, whether intense or not, may help or make your situation worse. It is important to take steps that help you stretch, strengthen, and protect the lower back—for instance, practicing the above tips may fix lower back pain. In case the pain is severe, you may opt to contact our doctor. Please schedule a consultation meeting with our doctor today at 205-637-1363 to have your back pain fixed. We offer quality services and ensure you get well within the shortest time possible.
