Back pain is one of those things that unless you have had it you think everyone that moans about it is being a drama queen!

You think it will never happen to you and health issues are a long way off in the future when you are older.

But then one day you feel a sharp twinge in your back and you realise something isn’t right.

You shrug it off at first saying you had a hard day at work or have been doing the gardening and a back ache is to be expected. You think it will go away on its own…or is that…hope it will!

But the truth is, when back pain strikes, most of us have no clue how or why it happened and you are left suffering with back pain longer than you should have to!

Reality has now tapped on the door and you realise….Damn it the back pain bandits have gotten me!

So, what do you do now? Most people either:

 

1. Ignore it and hope it will go away on its own

OR

2. Look in to the cupboard and see what painkillers and or anti-inflammatory tablets they have. Once they feel the pills are easing the back pain they keep on taking them every few hours for days, weeks or even months/years!

 

To be honest as a back pain sufferer I’ve done this in the past and the pills almost became a psychological crutch for me as I was scared to move my back in a flare up without them.

The GP will reinforce that the best thing for back pain is giving you a prescription for painkillers and or anti-inflammatories and they will also tell you to rest!

So, you want to know the truth about these pills the doctor gives you….Well here it is…..all they do is mask the pain for a few hours until you need to take another dose! This is a slippery slope you head down as taking pills will never get to the root cause of back pain. As I said earlier as a fellow sufferer I know this all too well.

I have a ruptured disc in my low back and I was in a bad way a few years ago and when I say bad I mean I couldn’t get more than half an hour sleep at a time, I tried sleeping on the floor, in various positions in bed, I couldn’t sit, every step I walked was agony and as for needing to cough or sneeze well this was pure torture!

I was offered surgery but refused as I know surgery is not the quick fix everyone thinks it is. Surgery has its place but for me I knew this was not the way to go and as a physio I have seen too many patients not happy after back surgery. So, I chose the natural route of physiotherapy and Pilates. Within 10 consecutive days of treatment I was 90% better. It was like a lightbulb had been turned off and the electricity shooting from my back down my left leg had gone! It was……heaven!!!!!

So, here’s the thing, there are so many ways of finding relief from back pain that don’t include pills and rest and I want to share them with you, so you too can find relief naturally (WITHOUT having to rely on pills or have risky surgery).

Obviously not everyone’s back pain will be as severe as my back problems but I want to share with you some tips so you can help yourself when needed. If I can get my life back then you can too!

 

Here are my top 5 tips for easing back pain:

 

1. Avoid sitting with your legs crossed. We all do it, but trust me when I say our spine isn’t designed to be in a sustained twisted position I mean it. Crossing your legs will create a twist in your spine which places a lot of strain on your lower back, causing more back pain.

Instead sit straight with your feet placed on the floor equal weight under each foot                                            and try and sit on a firmer chair when possible.

 

2. Take note of how you sleep! Avoid sleeping on your stomach at all costs. It messes up your back and neck, as turning your head to breathe means the rest of the spine is twisted.

If you sleep on your side try putting a pillow or two between your knees and thighs. This will feel odd at first but if you can persist with it then it will lower the amount of twist through your spine keeping it in a good position which will reduce the tension in your low back.

3. Get up and move! As humans, we were designed to move. Sitting or lying for long periods will only result in us ending up in trouble. When were rest for too long, muscles get tight and weak and our joints get stiff meaning we don’t move properly.

Think of our body like a car. If the car sits in the garage for weeks on end it is unlikely to work properly. Same for our bodies.

Try going for a walk every day to get you moving even if it’s only 10 minutes or at the very least get up out of that chair and have a stretch to stop the rust setting in.

 

Your spine is the core to every body part. Just think your arms and legs come off it. Think of a house….if the foundations are not strong the house won’t stay up. Same for the human body. If the spine isn’t working well the rest of it won’t.

In the same way your mum taught you to brush your teeth twice a day every day, you need to look at taking care of your back in the same way. You can do this by including these good daily habits to help ease and live with less back pain.

I can’t promise you that ALL of these things will work for you but what I do know is that these tips have helped hundreds of my clients and myself to reduce the risk of back pain coming out of the blue… and if you are currently suffering from back pain, these tips will help ease it!

For even more tips like this, visit here where you can download your free copy of my back pain report: http://www.wdcphysiotherapy.co.uk/physiotherapy/back-pain/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[ebs_iconheading type=”h4″ style=”glyphicon-user” icontype=”glyphicon”][/ebs_iconheading] About the Author
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About Wendy McCloud

Wendy is the founder of The South East’s Leading Specialist Private Physiotherapy Practice for People in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, who want to keep healthy and active.

Wendy’s background includes working as an Extended Scope Practitioner Physiotherapist working as part of Mr. Ali Al-Sabti’s Orthopaedic Consultant’s team specialising in Shoulder Pain.

Wendy has treated royalty for Shoulder pain through referrals from her close links with a top Orthopaedic Shoulder Surgeons. More recently Wendy has been the sole choice physiotherapist for all Essex based referrals from London Shoulder surgeon Mr. Matthew Sala.

Wendy worked in National Level Rugby Union for 11 years, working with players who achieved county honours and representative honours for various countries such as England, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. Wendy resigned from her position as Head Physiotherapist at Southend RFC in June 2011 to open WDC which has become the fastest growing clinic in the South East of England.

WDC is now a large multi-therapist speciality practice in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

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