5 Home Remedies for Lower Back Pain
The cause of lower back pain varies from person to person. For instance, a person could have got it by sleeping in the wrong posture, another from slouching too much in the office, and an athlete may have strained it during hard training.
Whatever it is, it’s always good to see a chiropractor to have them assess your back condition. But, do you know you can use simple home remedies to reduce the stress on or completely treat your lower back?
In fact, this is what our article here today is for. So, continue reading our guide to see if there’s anything you can do to heal your back pain or help a family member with it.
1) Use a hot or cold compress
If your lower back feels very painful due to a recent injury, put a cold compress on your back at once. This will relieve you of the pain by helping to reduce its soreness and inflammation.
On the other hand, if you feel tightness in your lower back, you can apply a hot pack on it or take a relaxing hot bath or shower. That way, your lumbar muscles can loosen up completely.
2) Practise correct posture
Maintaining proper posture is easier said than done. We often forget it until we feel a bit of pain in our bodies.
When you work, remember to always keep your back naturally straight, don’t slouch or raise your chin to see in front of you, rest your hands on the table, and your eye level should be meet the top of the laptop screen.
You can also use Kinesio tapes, bands, or a body strap to remind you to stay in the right posture at home.
3) Perform abdominal exercises
Doing core exercises frequently strengthens your lower back, thereby helping to remedy pain and prevent it in the future.
Major core muscles comprise the area on your middle and low back and the hips. You can do crunches, squats, planks, glute bridges, and the like, depending on what you prefer.
One good exercise is the superman in which you lie flat on your tummy and lift your arms and legs as though you were flying.
4) Lose some weight
Making your lower back feel better can be achieved by losing some kilograms. This lessens the load your back has to deal with, and so, its resulting pain will also be reduced.
You may want to cut down some portions of carbs and/or sweets in your regular diet. Also, do some exercise even if it only means walking for half an hour three times a week.
However, for those with pre-existing conditions, we suggest consulting with your doctor or nutritionist for creating a healthy diet and workout plan.
5) Replace old shoes
Your shoes may have flattened or worn down from constant use. If that’s the case, change to a new one before it hurts your feet, knees, legs, back, neck, or a combination of these.
For women, wearing high heels may be another culprit of lower back and heel pain, according to this study.
However, the researchers weren’t able to pinpoint the exact cause and effect of this issue, since their sample size was merely small.
To be sure, you can just remove your high heels when you’re in the office and just wear them when going out. If possible, switch to more comfortable sandals or footwear on certain days of the week.