Someone has to say it, having lower back pain doesn’t make a person special. Millions of people are searching for lower back pain relief. As a chiropractor in Springfield, Illinois we have patients hobbling through our office on the daily. 80% of Americans will have lower back pain at some point in their life and it’s the #1 cause of disability on planet Earth. Ever heard of it?
Lower back pain can vary in severity depending on underlying causes and how long it’s been left untreated. People with a history of back pain, those who smoke or use tobacco, being overweight, being female, being anxious or depressed, and doing too much physical work or living a sedentary lifestyle are all major risk factors. I think that covers everybody.
Over-the-counter medications and other pain relievers aren’t always the best solution since they have a list of side effects that don’t sound very appealing, one of which is addiction.
So here are some incredible ALL-NATURAL alternatives to treat lower back pain.
1. Hydrotherapy
Surprising, not what I mean by hydrotherapy, but definitely as therapeutic.
Hydrotherapy dates back to the warm water spas of ancient Greece, so it’s gotta be good.
It’s the idea of using water to aid in rehabilitation and to provide a form of exercise that might be more accessible to folks with weight bearing issues. It also has the power to decrease symptoms of a variety of conditions. That’s why it’s the elixir of life! Oh wait, that’s wine, water is good too though.
Water decreases the effects of gravity, taking pressure off of achy joints and weak muscles, but because of its resistance properties it’s possible to build muscle and strength at the same time. For those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to exercise, taking advantage of water’s enigmatic properties allow for improved circulation which decreases inflammation and promotes healing.
I know! It’s incredible. The list of conditions that hydrotherapy can help exceeds my allotted word count.
Let’s just say, it’s time to get in the water. In addition to decreasing pain and swelling, Hydrotherapy also:
- Increases range of motion and strength
- Improves mood and sleep
- Improves fitness and helps prevent future injuries
- Supports cardiovascular health
- May help treat social and behavioral impairments
- Enhances metabolic rate
- Improves digestion
- Hydrates skin
- Aides in muscle tone
- Boosts immune system
2. Massage Therapy
Poor posture is one of the biggest culprits of lower back pain. It causes muscle weakness and compensation that overworks muscles and increases tension. Soft tissue work, like massage therapy, is a great way to treat these underlying causes of lower back pain.
Massage is the original mood enhancer, ooh la la. It improves circulation, which we know aids in recovery and healing. It also relaxes muscles, which improves their range of motion, and helps fight insomnia. And let’s not forget, it’s a great way to lure guests to a resort where they won’t end up taking advantage of the spa because they’re too busy at the swim up bar. Massage isn’t the only type of dry tissue work we love.
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- Active Release Technique (A.R.T.) – a type of deep tissue massage that prevents and breaks up dense scar tissue that acts like a gorilla glue and limits range of motion of the muscles and joints. Nerves can even get trapped by scar tissue causing nerve pain and dysfunction.
- Graston Technique – a similar technique to break up scar tissue, but this one uses a shiny steel tool to stimulate an inflammatory response that restarts the healing process.
- Dry Needling – uses itsy bitsy lil’ needles to stimulate trigger points and release tight muscle bands or “knots”. Plus it looks badass to have needles sticking out of you.
- Neurokinetic Therapy – attempts to retrain incorrect movements that the brain has memorized that might be contributing to pain and postural abnormalities.
3. Diet and Supplementation
Whoever’s idea it was to make the delicious foods bad for us, should immediately be sent to prison. One of the bad ones, like Arkham or Azkaban. It might not be what our body maniacally craves, but a diet of unprocessed, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory foods is what it needs. Lower body weight and reduced inflammation ease stress on our muscles and joints providing much needed lower back pain relief.
- ????High fiber foods aren’t only good for digestion and gut health. They can help us lose weight and overcome issues with blood pressure.
- ????Potassium-rich foods are critical for muscular and nerve function in addition to reducing swelling.
- ??Omega-3 Fats reduce inflammation and help with pain management.
- ????Lean Protein like pasture-raised chicken and grass-fed meat are essential for muscle maintenance and bone health.
- DRINK MORE WATER! – I’ll never stop screaming this
- Fish oil (2,000mg daily) – people with back pain need higher doses of Omega – 3 fats to help reduce inflammation, so supplementation is often the best way to meet those requirements
- Turmeric (1,000mg daily) – one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, pain reducing spices out there
- Magnesium (400-500mg daily) – “relaxation mineral” helps to relax muscles and reduce stress
4. Set The Endorphins Free
Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.
Exercise is great for us, we know this. It increases our flexibility, helps us maintain a healthy weight, reduces inflammation, improves posture, and reduces muscle compensation and weakness. These 10 core exercises are rumored to have impacts far beyond the confines of our epidermis.
The ultimate goal is to release endorphins that can help with the physical and emotional aspects of pain. In addition to exercises that strengthen our core to aid in stabilization and prevent lower back pain, these practices are great for strengthening our mind.
- Meditation and Mindfulness – typically involving controlled breath work and intense focus, helps with relaxation and reduced pain sensation.
- Pain Movement and Altered Focus – this involves focusing on a pain free area of the body to take our mind off of the pain and using the same focus to picture the pain moving around our body, eventually leaving it completely. And while we’re at it:
- Yoga – the ancient practice of sitting in uncomfortable positions for a long period of time. Yoga is, clearly, not for everyone, but its focus on body position/posture, breathing, and state of mind, make it a great defense against the dark arts of lower back pain and neck pain. That brings the total Harry Potter references to two, one less the amount of Harry Potter books I’ve read. It also does wonders for joint flexibility and muscle endurance, yoga not Harry Potter.
- Laughter – That’s not a joke, back pain can make it hard to enjoy things, but laughter can release endorphins which will provide a short respite from chronic pain.
?does this help? ?
5. Chiropractic Adjustments
Literally saving the best for last!
At the Springfield Wellness Center, we specialize in getting to the root cause of a patient’s lower back pain and creating an individualized strategy to get them the relief they deserve.
The lumbar spine undergoes the most amount of stress over the course of a person’s lifetime and there are a myriad of things that can cause lower back pain such as muscle problems, ligament issues, joint problems, and disc issues. Getting to the root cause is the only way to address the pain and keep it away for good. We want to send the pain to a “farm” where it can spend the rest of its life living with the other animals.
Chiropractic care is so amazing because it’s all-natural, non-invasive, and can be tailored to each individual patient. The antithesis of one-size-fits-all.
It addresses structural issues to alleviate stress on the nervous system and allow the body to heal itself. Whether a patient’s pain is coming from a muscle strain, a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, subluxation, Degenerative Disc Disease, we have a variety of treatment options to help them find relief. From deep tissue laser to decompression, adjustments to custom exercise plans, we believe chiropractic has the power to help people live pain free.
Call our office or schedule a time to meet with one of our amazing doctors here and experience first hand the incredible power of Chiropractic!
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