Back Pain Making Things Difficult? Try These 10 Best Home Remedies for Lower Back Pain (2020)

Back Pain Making Things Difficult? Try These 10 Best Home Remedies for Lower Back Pain (2020)

Persistent pain in the lower back is mainly due to our sedentary lifestyle. We sit in the office for the entire day working on our computers, then, driving, eating dinner, watching our favourite show late at night, all in a sitting position. These home remedies could help you get rid of that troublesome lower back pain, so read on!

Related articles

Causes of Lower Back Pain

Nerve and Spinal Cord Problems

Nerve and spinal cord problems are the major cause of lower back pain. However, there are many different types of nerve and spinal cord issues. For instance, your spinal nerve can get inflamed, compressed, or even injured. Or you may get sciatica which is a result of the sciatic nerve being pressed hard. This nerve is the one that travels from the buttocks to the back of the leg, and this problem causes lower back pain or shock as well as bad pain in the nerve itself.

Another problem that can be a cause of lower back pain is spinal stenosis that is caused by the narrowing of your spinal column that keeps pressure on the nerves and the spinal cord. You can also get spondylolisthesis and results from a vertebra of one's lower spine being moved out of place, hence causing a pinch in the nerves of the spinal column.

One of the worst conditions is the herniated discs that occur when someone's intervertebral discs are compressed causing an outward bulge. If someone's ruptured disc gets pushed into the spinal canal, hence pressing the bundle of sacral nerve roots and lumbar nerve roots, you get cauda equina. Then, if you don't treat it, you may get permanent neurological damage.

Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Skeletal Irregularities, Muscle Strain, or Ligament Strain

Other than the nerve and spinal cord problems, there are many other causes of the lower back pain in people as well. For instance, lower back pain can also be caused by muscle or ligament strain. This strain is caused if you work at a job where you do the heavy lifting or lifting for any other purpose as well.

Other than repeated lifting, these strains can also be a result of a sudden awkward movement. Also, in case you are in a poor health condition already, the constant strains can result in severe muscle seizures. Another condition that can result in severe lower back pain is osteoarthritis. More commonly known as arthritis, this affects your lower back and can even cause spinal stenosis. You can also get lower back pain because of kidney stones, pregnancy, or tumours that slowly destroys your bony spine. One may also get lower back pain because of fibromyalgia or endometriosis, caused by a buildup of the uterine tissue outside one's uterus.

Skeletal irregularities can cause your spine to curve up to one side, and therefore, lower back pain. However, this usually happens in the middle of an older age. Osteoporosis results in the development of compression fractures in the spine's vertebrae, caused when one's bones become brittle as well as porous.

Home Remedies for Lower Back Pain

Give Oils and Ointments a Try

Many people suffer from back pain, especially in their old age. So, people from various fields have worked to find their treatments. Apart from medical treatments and therapies, there are also some essential oils and ointments that help in releasing the pain and soreness of muscles. Some various ointments and balms help to comfort the pain by preventing the sensation, and the gels, creams, lotions, organic oils, pain rubs, as well as pain relief tablets, etc help to cure pain. Ingredients like cayenne, lidocaine, capsaicin, Brazilian arnica, Direction, and ibuprofen also help against the pain.

Moreover, essential oils like lavender oil, wintergreen oil, lemongrass oil, ginger oil, rosemary oil, and yarrow oil, etc are also helpful. The lavender oil alleviates muscle pain and inflammation, and therefore, gives a sense of calmness and relaxation. Wintergreen oil, on the other hand, has analgesic properties and also contains methyl salicylate, which is best known for treating many kinds of pains. Ginger oil has anti-infection properties and provides a warming effect on sore muscles. However, before applying any cream or oil, give it a patch test to make sure that it is anti-allergic to you.

You can also explore Ayurvedic oils which use age-old recipes to provide pain relief and healing.

Stay Active

Staying active keeps you healthy and fit, and doing physical activities makes you stay fresh the whole day. Aerobic exercises, or playing sports, like football, basketball, baseball, swimming, cycling, walking, running, and walking, etc don't just make a person strong, instead, they also improve his overall health. These activities, moreover, build the stamina and also boost the energy levels while improving the person's posture and the overall physique of the body.

The proper alignment of the spine and the contraction and relaxation of muscles provides more support to the back and alleviate the pain. Movement reduces the stiffness of the connective tissues and gives flexibility to the body. The constant mobility prevents stress and friction in the joints, which lessen the back pain. Furthermore, all these physical activities make a person strong by raising energy levels.

Reduce Stress

Stress is a major cause of lower back pain. When the body is stressed, the muscle tension increases and this causes inflammation. Stress can also induce painful spasms in the lower back and joints while also affecting the mind and body and increasing the heart rate. This also quickens the breath and narrows the veins and arteries, etc. This also causes pain in the mid-back, soreness and tenderness of muscles, shoulder pain, and body aches, among other things.

To release stress, there are many effective ways like yoga, meditation, deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and the right diet. Various studies have shown that proper meditation helps in lowering pain. Deep breaths in and out for a few minutes assist in body relaxation and release muscle tension as well. Calm and slow music, on the other hand, releases the tension and leaves a positive effect on the body.

Use Ice

Ice is very helpful for treating the swelling and reducing muscle spasm. Especially in the first 24 to 28 hours, the ice treatment is very beneficial for reducing cramping and inflammation. They are also known to reduce muscle pain and relieve tension. Various researches have shown that using ice packs relaxes the muscles, and this cold helps to numb the pain and soothes the stiff tissues.

Moreover, ice reduces nerve activity, lowers the body temperature, and helps to minimize the swelling. For this purpose, you can either use ice packs, ice cubes, or ice baths. However, you can also simply take the ice cubes and rub them on the affected area of the body. You may also put the crushed ice in the plastic bag and place the bag on the skin. You are suggested to carry out this treatment two to three times per day and for at least thirty minutes.

Take an Epsom Salt Bath

Epsom salt is very beneficial and also a famous remedy for many ailments. It is very effective against muscle soreness and inflammation and is also a rich source of magnesium which is essential for many chemical reactions of the body. Because of these reasons Epsom salt is very useful for the heart and nervous system and an Epsom bath helps to flush out many chemical toxins that cause inflammation while also diminishing swelling, soreness, and stiffness. It helps in maintaining the balance of the body and also assist the weight management.

Moreover, it is known to smooth stiff muscles and relax them. Various researches have also shown that the Epsom salt bath promotes soft skin by exfoliating the dead skin cells. For this reason, after harsh exercise or physical activity, it is suggested to take a warm Epsom salt bath. However, only by soaking in for twenty minutes can it alleviate the pain. You also need to make sure that the water is neither too hot nor too cold, a temperature between 92 and 100°F (33 and 38°C) is ideal.

Do Physical Activity and Limit the Bed Rest

Engaging in physical activity is very beneficial to cure back pain. It helps to strengthen the muscles, relieving stiffness and improves mobility, and exercise or physical activity also assists to build strong, elastic, and flexible tissues. A little bed rest after the treatment is necessary, but if it prolongs, it can again cause back pain. Therefore, it is important to keep the muscles moving while limiting your bed rest. Some exercises like stretching, furthermore, cause stiff muscles to relax and ease the pain.

If the pain is too severe, and it becomes difficult to walk or even stand, bed rest for 1-2 days is suggested. Regular walk, aerobic activities, and cardio exercises are also recommended to stay fit and healthy. Physical activities help in the quick recovery of tender muscles and prevent future aching, and exercise also releases endorphins, which help to relieve pain and act as happy hormones.

Massage Can Also Help a Lot

Massage is another useful remedy to treat lower back pain. It helps to improve blood circulation that assists in the quick recovery of muscle soreness from harsh activity or exercise. Especially gently massaging the stressed muscle relaxes the tissues and relieves the pain. Various researches have shown that the massage brings oxygen and other essential nutrients to the tissues and improves the blood flow level.

If you get a good massage regularly, you will also not need to get anti-inflammatory medicines. Other than helping with lower back pain, massage also has many other physical benefits. For instance, it helps fight stress and depression, hence making you feel fresh as well as more positive than usual. You can use several essential oils and organic liquids like coconut oil, sweet almond oil, peppermint oil, or olive oil, etc for this purpose.

How to Prevent Lower Back Pain

Consume Calcium and Vitamin-D Insufficient Quantities

Source www.123rf.com

Calcium and Vitamin D can go a long way in helping you to prevent lower back pain from occurring. It is so, because, calcium helps strengthen your bones, hence reducing the chances of osteoporosis. So, because osteoporosis is one of the most common reasons for lower back pain at an older age, calcium prevents back pain.

Furthermore, calcium helps the muscles, heart, and nerves to properly function. Also, calcium, as well as Vitamin D, helps our body prevent any forms of cancer, diabetes, as well as high blood pressure, among other diseases. Calcium also helps to keep the skin glowing by regulating sebum protection, and therefore, keeping your skin hydrated at all times.

Vitamin D, on the other hand, helps in the reproduction of skin cells, prevents skin ageing, and also helps in skin repair and our metabolism. Other than this, it boosts weight loss, helps prevent depression, and also helps fight various diseases like the flu, various heart diseases, and multiple sclerosis. All of these benefits help prevent lower back pain in older age.

You can easily get Vitamin D from sardines, salmon, cereal, shrimp, egg yolk, yoghurt, milk, and orange juice, etc. Calcium, on the other hand, is available in various food substances like milk, green leafy vegetables, cheese, soya beans, tofu, nuts, bread, flour, sardines, and pilchards, among others.

Strengthen Your Core Muscles Every Day

If you do not want to face lower back pain, it is very important to keep your core muscles strong. It is so, because, they support your spine, and therefore, if they weaken up, your spine will start to hurt a lot.

Now there are many different ways to strengthen your core muscles. For instance, you could try low-impact cardiovascular exercise. This type of exercise includes brisk walking that stretches your muscles and helps in increasing the blood flow to your spine, hence decreases the chances of lower back pain in the future.

You could also give water therapy a try as it has proven to be very effective. During this, you receive lots of motion because of the ethereality of the water, especially the ones the need for you to lift your legs. Through the gentle friction, this also provides resistance, and hence allows the conditioning and strengthening of your muscles. This is very efficient for the ones with lower back pain but is also good for preventative measures.

Ball workouts like sitting on a medicine ball for half an hour or using it for stretching can also be very useful. This will make your core muscles not only strong but also flexible, and therefore, will help you to prevent lower back pain in the future.

In case you are in too much pain that you cannot exercise much, start with very little bits. You could start by climbing two stories of stairs and go up to the difficult one.

Related articles
From our editorial team

Stay Away from the Pain Killer Medications

Back pain is one of the common problems of many peoples. A study shows that there is an 84 per cent chance that you will experience back pain at least once in your lifetime. Back pain is a problem that can affect your day-to-day work, and can also spoil your plans. It’s not a problem that can be avoided. For back pain that is so extreme you need painkillers, be sure to follow the guidelines for use. These medicines may have more unwanted side effects in the long run. The National Safety Council reports that people who treat back pain patients with opioid medications are more likely to have back surgery. Follow the listed home remedies on your daily routine and you will see the better result within a month and weeks.