How to live with chronic back pain

How to live with chronic back pain

What can you do to relieve chronic back pain? Here are 7 ways to treat chronic back pain.

back pain is considered chronic when it is present for more than three months.

Back pain is often due to a simple mechanical cause, that doesn’t need treatment itself. Common mechanical causes include a minor herniated (prolapsed or ‘slipped’) disc, facet joint disorder, and ligament injury, and lumbar strain.

This type of back pain can be considerably better in 2 weeks, and completely gone at 6 weeks (in 90%). But in 10% it becomes chronic. This article is mainly about such causes of longer term back pain.

1. Medication – take anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medicine like aspirin or ibuprofen regularly (4x a day). Paracetamol can be used with another painkiller, taken at the same time as a NSAID.
2. Ice or heat – apply an ice pack or bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel to reduce pain and swelling, especially immediately after an injury. After about 48 hours, you can try using a heating pad or hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel to relieve muscle spasms or joint stiffness.
3. Movement
   • In the daytime, getting up and walking every hour can help alot. Try not to lie in bed. Longer term, gentle exercise like walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, or stretching can promote healing. Strengthening your core muscles can also help.
   • Movement techniques – bend, lift, carry, posture
     – Bend your knees and hips, not your back
     – Lift heavy objects using the correct lifting technique
     – Carry larger loads in a comfortable rucksack using both shoulder straps, and avoid sling bags
     – Posture – maintain a good posture – and avoid slumping in your chair, hunching over a desk, or walking with your shoulders. hunched. If you work at a computer for long periods, ensure your chair and screen height are optimised.
   • Breaks – take a short break from sitting every 30 minutes.
4. Massage – can help with sore muscles and injury recovery by providing nutrients to tissues. It can also relieve tension knots in the back or shoulder muscles.
5. Bed – check that your bed provides the correct support and comfort for your weight and build, not just firmness. An ‘orthopaedic’ (or lordotic) pillow may help to maintain a healthy overall spinal alignment.
6. Learn relaxation techniques – such as this breathing exercises to help manage stress. Stress is a major cause of back pain. Acupuncture may help.
7. Distraction – try to distract yourself so your thoughts aren’t fixated on the pain. Getting a good night’s sleep can help with recovery. Using sleeping tablets in the short-term may help.

Summary

We have described 7 ways to live with chronic back pain. There may be an underlying non-mechanical cause, and what you should do is different. See below.

Other resource

If back pain is severe, or associated with red flag symptoms – you may need to see a doctor (possibly today).

This article addresses how to make that decision: When should I see a doctor about back pain.