Treating Lower Back Pain

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If you suffer from lower back pain, you are not alone: most adults will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives †medical professionals estimate that up to nine out of ten adults are at least occasionally afflicted. Some of those referenced in that statistic will not just suffer from the infrequent ache, but instead a chronic and very intense pain.

Most often lower back pain is caused by some sort of stress or strain of the muscles, discs, or ligaments in the lower back, or lumbosacral, region. Once the injury has manifested itself, it frequently leads to further pain as the sufferer attempts to compensate for the weakened areas by using rarely utilized muscles which are not accustomed to such regular use. Sometimes lower back pain isn’t caused by overuse or injury, but by nerve root compression due to joint degeneration, a herniated disc, or by vertebrae or spinal deformities or fractures. There are a host of other, less common reasons for chronic lower back pain, so if the pain persists over time, see a specialist.

Just as there are many possible sources of lower back ...
... pain, there are a myriad of ways to treat it, many which can be attempted at home before turning to professional medical help. One of the easiest and most frequently recommended home treatments for lower back pain is to lie on the floor on your back with your head supported by a pillow and another pillow placed underneath slightly bent knees. This gives your back a good rest and releases weight and pressure from strained muscles or slipped discs. Do not rest your back this way for more than a day or two, however, because this can weaken your muscles therefore increasing overall recovery time. Whichever way you rest your back, regularly giving your back muscles a little use by walking around or doing some gentle stretches will keep your back muscles from weakening. Do this even if it causes some pain. If pain is too severe for infrequent, gentle use of back muscles, see a doctor for more aggressive treatment.

In conjunction with back rest, try heating pads and over the counter medications, such as pain and swelling reducers like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen. It is not generally recommended to use heating pads for more than thirty minutes at a time, so keep your use brief. Some lower back pain sufferers cycle between heating pads and ice packs to keep swelling under control; this is usually done for fewer than thirty minutes apiece, once every three to four hours.

Avoid treating lower back pain in the future through proactive prevention. Participate in a regular exercise regimen, being sure to focus on back and stomach muscle strength. Pay attention to your posture as well as to the way you lift and handle heavy objects. Also, stress is proven to play a role in some chronic lower back pain, so try to learn to effectively manage stress levels.