Back pain is so common and affects almost all of us at some point in our lives.
Injury, obesity, and posture can all be causes- sometimes more serious cases can be a result of previous operations or even medical malpractice.
Discomfort, pain when standing, sitting, walking or lying down and not being able to exercise are just a few of the issues that come along with the territory, it’s not pleasant and can actually be incredibly inconvenient or even debilitating when it’s bad.
Here are some simple steps you can take if your back is regularly hurting.
Get a new mattress
As humans, we spend huge portions of our lives sleeping in bed.
And so if your mattress isn’t supporting you, it’s easy for this to reflect in the neck, back, and hip pain. Your best bet is to go to a bed shop and lie on lots of models, you need to find one that’s right for you.
If you’re heavier you will generally need a firmer mattress so this is something to bear in mind. It’s a simple solution, and if your bed it what was causing your pain you’ll quickly find it gets better after investing in a new mattress.
Lose Weight
Losing excess weight can benefit your body in so many ways.
In particular, you’ll lighten the strain on your musculoskeletal system so your knees, hips, and back will ache less. Carrying too much weight can lead to excess pressure in the bottom of the spine and the muscles surrounding it, on top of this if you’re overweight or obese you might not have the muscle strength needed to keep everything in line.
Start a diet plan and find ways to exercise to strengthen your back and core that don’t involve putting pressure on your back (cycling is good).
As you get stronger you can do exercise such as walking which will help with strengthening, toning, and burning calories, if you’re struggling at first you could look into selecting a cane to help you.
See a Doctor
Sometimes the cause of a bad back will be obvious, if you know you’ve slept funny, lifted something heavy, or just overdone it then you can rule out anything sinister.
These kinds of injuries will get better by themselves in time, just stay lightly active since bed rest isn’t recommended for a minor back injury) and use over the counter medication.
However, if your back issues have obvious causes then it’s time to see your doctor, organs like the kidneys are in the back and certain cancers, pancreatic problems, and even bladder problems can be felt as back pain it’s important to rule these out.
