A few years ago, I became part of the 80% of adults that experience acute back pain. During that bout of lower back pain, I spent a lot of my time seeking ways to relieve lower back pain. While it was a difficult experience to go through, it forced me to be more mindful of my back’s health. It was my body’s way of telling me that I had to pay attention to it in order to prevent worse things from happening in the future. I will share some ways to relieve lower back pain that have been useful for me in case they may be useful to you.
Ergonomic Chair
A key factor that I attribute my now healthy back is the ergonomic chair that my workplace provided me with upon furnishing a doctor’s note. Being that I spend most of my hours at work, I think this is one of the ways to relieve lower back pain that has been the simplest and most effective intervention for my situation. I was skeptical that a chair would be able to assist my back pain, but I was wrong.
The chair immediately eliminated the discomfort I felt when sitting in other chairs regardless how long I sat on it. A few years after using the chair, the ergonomic chair continues to be effective in preventing me from experiencing lower back pain during work.
You might be interested in: What is an Ergonomic Office Chair
Inversion Table
Another gadget that I attribute with my lower back recovery was an inversion table. I had never heard of inversion tables until I researched way to reduce lower back pain and learned about these devices. It’s a device that allows you to hang upside down and with the purpose of decompressing your spine.
I used this device quite often at first and found it helpful. I could feel my spine extend as I hung upside down. It made sense to me that hanging upside down would help provide the spine some relief, and there seems to be a good amount of literature supporting the benefits of inversion tables for back health. I use my inversion table less often now, but I am thankful I have it available to hang upside down from time to time.
You might be interested in: Teeter Hang Ups Inversion Table
Quality Shoes
After my bout of lower back pain, I also bought myself first good pair of running shoes. Before my back problems, I had never invested in quality running shoes, even though I often ran long distances. I did not give buying quality shoes consideration until someone pointed out to the possibility of black problems to be connected with running shoes.
That made me realize how I had coincidentally experienced my first bout of a tilted back on a day when I was wearing very uncomfortable shoes. Since then, I have invested in quality running shoes. I am quite confident that this has been an effective way of relieving lower back pain.
Good Posture
Not all of the ways of relieving back pain involved investment in new products. Some simply required me to change my habits. Before my bout of lower back pain, I often sat slouched, or in various contorted positions. Now, I am more mindful of my posture. (A posture brace can make it easier for you to acquire this good habit.)
I also try to generally follow good ergonomic practices. These good practices include not sitting down for prolonged periods. (A stand desk, for example, is a great desk to have to alternate between sitting and standing.) They also include bending knees when lifting or picking something up, pushing rather than pulling, not bending to perform tasks, and avoiding deviations from the body’s mid-line while lifting.
It is important to keep these good practices in mind when doing everyday tasks and also while exercising. Unfortunately, doing exercises with poor form can end up doing more harm than good.
Exercises
Through the physical therapy treatments for my bout of lower back pain, I learned the importance of a balanced exercise routine. I have cut down on the amount of running I do due to the high impact nature of the exercise. While running is still an important part of my exercise routine, I have started to incorporate a number of the exercises that were recommended to me during physical therapy.
Some of the exercises that I have started doing are lunges and squats, which are great core exercises. Prior to my bout of lower back pain, these exercise were not part of my exercise routine. Noteworthy is that I have stopped doing sits ups since by bought of lower back pain. This is because I learned that sit-ups sometimes lead to lower back problems and are actually being phased out of the military for this reason.
Conclusion
Fortunately, I have not had recurrences of acute lower back pain and my lower back now feels normal. I hope to keep practicing these ways to relieve lower back pain, as well as to adopt new ones along the way. The time, effort, and money invested into a routine that you can incorporate into your life on a regular basis is well worth it.
Of course, the ways to relieve lower back pain that I described above are the ones that have worked out for me. You might find that these are not helpful for your, or that something else works best for you. Just remember to be consistent with your healthy back practices even when your back is back to normal. You and your back will be thankful for this in the long run.
Check out the Wellness Tools page to review the various tools that you may use to relieve lower back pain.
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