The ideal sleep position: On your back The best position to avoid back pain is lying flat on your back. Even so, many people find it the hardest way to enjoy deep sleep. For optimal spine alignment, place one pillow underneath your head or neck and another underneath your knees.
If you have back pain, bed rest can be useful, especially if you are in severe pain while sitting and standing. But it's best to limit bed rest during the day to a few hours at a time, for no more than a couple of days. That's because too much time in bed can do more harm than good.
Hot and cold therapy
In general, cold temperatures lower inflammation and decrease swelling. Heat can assist with relaxing your muscles. Depending on your low back pain symptoms, you may try cold or hot therapy for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day, until back pain lessens.
While you sit still for too long, such as during sleep, inflammatory chemicals accumulate in your joints, exacerbating pain and stiffness. That's why people with inflammatory back pain can wake up in agony in the middle of night and feel stiff and achy first thing in the morning.
It May Increase Back Pain
While some people with back pain find it beneficial to sleep on the floor, others may find it increases their back pain. Without adequate cushioning around pressure points like your hips and shoulders, sleeping on the floor can cause stiffness and discomfort.
Contact your health care provider for back pain that: Lasts longer than a few weeks. Is severe and doesn't improve with rest. Spreads down one or both legs, especially if the pain goes below the knee.
Acute (short-term) back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks. It usually resolves on its own within a few days with self-care and there is no long-term loss of function. Chronic back pain is pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of back pain has been treated.
Studies show that it can provide short-term pain relief. A hot shower, bath or heating pad can help relax tense muscles and reduce inflammation.
Also, drink healthy herb teas and true teas (green, oolong, and white). Experts say that olive oil, green tea, and brightly colored fruits and vegetables have all been shown to reduce inflammation in cartilage in the spinal column, which helps to control back pain and stiffness.
Going on walks: Initial research suggests that going on a walk or brisk walking (Nordic walking) can help relieve back pain if done regularly – for instance, every two days for 30 to 60 minutes.
Poor posture, like slouching or pushing the head forward while sitting or standing, causing misalignment of the spine. Muscle overuse or strain, usually due to repetitive motions or lifting items or children incorrectly. Injury to discs, muscles and/or ligaments. Myofascial pain.
Lie on your back with your legs straight and your heels on the floor. Bring your right knee into your chest, using your hands to gently pull the back of your thigh. You should feel a stretch in the front of your left hip and lower back. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds, then relax.
Sleeping without a pillow can help some people who sleep on their stomach, but it is not a good idea for everyone. People who sleep on their side or back will usually find that sleeping without a pillow puts pressure on their neck. By doing this, it can ruin a person's quality of sleep and lead to neck and back pain.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
Generally speaking, ice is better than heat for back pain that may be caused by an acute injury. The Cleveland Clinic says that, in the battle of back pain, “Ice wins to shut down swelling, inflammation and pain early on where heat may actually make an injury worse.”
Sadly, back pain is common, but there are many ways you can treat it. Using ice baths for back pain can offer more than a surface-level treatment. It helps with pain, swelling, and muscle spasms by lowering your body's temperature.
It can result from a strain (injury) to muscles or tendons in the back. Other causes include arthritis, structural problems and disk injuries. Pain often gets better with rest, physical therapy and medication. Reduce your risk of low back pain by keeping at a healthy weight and staying active.
Lower back pain is often caused by straining muscles, tendons or ligaments in your back. But it's often not possible to say for sure what's caused it. Sometimes there is a specific cause, such as a slipped disc, fracture or inflammation.
The Difference Between Muscle and Disc Pain
Muscle pain will feel like post-workout soreness, while disc pain will feel debilitating and tingly. It is helpful to know the difference before you see your doctor so you can accurately describe the pain to them.
The Four Stages of Degenerative Disc Disease
These four stages are the Dysfunction Stage, the Dehydration Stage, the Stabilization Stage, and the Collapsing Stage.
Muscle deconditioning
Muscle deconditioning – also called muscle atrophy – is one of the most common causes of chronic back pain. Muscle deconditioning happens when your back muscles lack the strength and stability to support you properly, leading to wear and tear over time.