Five Habits to Fix Lower Back Pain with Mindfulness

So, you have a lower back pain, which won’t go away? Help is at hand!

If you are experiencing back pain in either of the side or stiffness in your lower back, it is a red flag which you should not ignore.

Here are 5 habits to incorporate into your life to fix lower back pain yourself, recommended by certified chiropractors and physical therapists.

Please note that it is recommended to talk to a physical therapist prior dealing with the pain yourself.

Tip No.1 – Stretching and Exercising

Stretching and exercising is the best way to deal with lower back pain and prevent it from coming back.

Stretching reduces muscle tension, improve mobility and reduces the risk of disability caused by low back pain. Regular exercising helps in strengthening the muscles and allowing the disc in your back to exchange fluids; this is how the disc receives its nutrition. A healthy disc will swell with water and squeeze it out, similar to the action of a sponge. This sponge action distributes nutrients to the disc.

Here are a few tips to get the maximum effect from your stretching and exercising for lower back pain relief

• Do it at least 4 times a week.
• Don’t force your body into difficult or painful positions—stretching should be pain-free.
• Move into a stretch slowly
• Hold stretches long enough (30 to 60 seconds) to adequately lengthen muscles and improve range of motion.
• Repeat a stretch between 2 and 5 times.

You can try the following 2 stretches every day to get relief from lower back pain.

• Pigeon Stretch: This pose is very effective in stretching the hip muscles and external hip rotators. It can be performed anywhere without the need of any special tool and destress your back muscles with ease.

• Cat-Camel Stretch: This stretch is very effective in increasing flexibility and strengthening the neck, shoulder and lower back muscles.

There are mobile apps which offer free solutions and guided video sessions for treating lower back pain. You can even get online video assessment from real physiotherapists on your smartphone and track your progress as you heal yourself.

Tip No.2 – Use Proper Lifting Technique

Learn how to position your body to lift properly. Why? Because, it will prevent you from straining your back muscles, and causing pain in your lower back. Improper lifting technique can lead to a serious back injury and severe pain.

Think neutral spine. A neutral spine means every time you bend to lift something, always keep the position of the spine as if you were just standing normally. In other words, keep your spine straight. This means that you should squat, not bend over when you lift anything. Make sure to use your hip and glute muscles to do the lifting.

Tip No.3 – Strengthen Your Core

Think of your core muscles as a corset, the more you tighten the corset, the more stability you create to protect your spine.

Use this quick little tip to save your back whenever you feel your back is being compromised or when the pain is really bad: Tighten your stomach (pull your stomach in) for simple things like tying your shoelaces or even just brushing your teeth. Repeated over time, this simple practice will help to strengthen your core.

Don't sit for more than 45 minutes at a time without moving and be mindful to maintain good posture at all times. Use a back brace when gardening or doing repetitive lifting or bending tasks.

Tip No.4 – Modified Rest

Your core muscles support your back, so full bed rest should be avoided unless it is the only way you can relieve the pain. For acute low back pain sufferers who don’t have constant numbness in their legs, it is important to rest for the first 48 hours but keep moving to keep your mind off the pain. Walking for 10-15 minutes or performing mild stretching exercises will help get you out of the acute phase faster while speeding up the healing process.

Tip No.5 – Heat Therapy for Lower Back Pain

Heat therapy is helpful in treating low back pain by speeding up the inflammatory process. Pain is caused by inflammation but, believe it or not, inflammation is a good thing. It is a defensive response by your body and is an essential part of the healing process.

Heat therapy dilates the blood vessels of the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine, increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, thus facilitating in the healing of the damaged tissue and getting the inflammation (pain) out of the area sooner.

Heat therapy can be applied to your lower back using an electric heating pad, heated gel packs, and heat wraps (these wrap around the lower back and waist and may be worn against the skin under clothing).

Applying a heat treatment for 20 minutes, 2-3 times a day for a week will speed up the process of healing and reduce the tension in your back muscles.

The Bottom Line:

Incorporating these 5 habits in your daily life will help you in treating your lower back pain by destressing and strengthening your back muscles. All you need is a mindful effort and your pain will be gone sooner than you think.

About the Author:

Dr James Feng is a certified chiropractor with over 10 years of experience. He is currently working on a project called Phyxable (www.phyxable.com) with a mission to make a healthier society by democratizing treatment for pain. Phyxable is a mobile app with a mission of simplifying lower back pain treatment through online video assessments and guided video solution using advanced technology tools like augmented reality and machine learning.