Pain Management For Low Back Injuries

Managing low back pain can be challenging, but there are several strategies to help alleviate discomfort and improve mobility. Previous beliefs suggest resting, and while that may be helpful initially, long term rest can often worsen the pain. Here are some effective tips for managing acute low back pain:

• Stay active throughout the day
• This can include gentle stretching, walking, or even riding a bike. The goal is to work on balancing this with rest. Resting for long periods of time can increase stiffness and symptoms, so working on moving frequently can be helpful to improve blood flow throughout the body and promote healing. 
• Continue to exercise
• Injuries do not necessarily mean that you cannot exercise or move your body. It just may require you to modify for a little bit. Instead of following your normal programming to a T, maybe start with cardiovascular exercise.
• You can also continue to workout by modifying the range of motion, intensity, and volume of your workout. 
• Find positions that feel good 
• When resting or getting ready to sleep, find positions that feel comfortable or alleviate your pain. This can help to improve the quality of your sleep or your recovery. 
• This can include sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs or under your knees
• If you are resting on the coach and feel discomfort with your legs straight out, try bending your knees, rocking your knees side-to-side, or sitting in a figure 4. 
• Work with a physical therapist!
• PT’s are movement experts, as well as excellent sources for helping to manage pain, recent or long term injuries, and can help guide you back to living your life fully.
• A physical therapist can help by performing an initial evaluation, determine the impairments at hand, and help to address those so you can reach your goals. They can also provide many natural ways of managing pain with pharmaceutical or significant medical interventions.