Reduce Back Pain

Back pain can affect us all a little differently

Many people suffer from chronic back pain. The solutions are different for everyone, and so is their pain experience. For some of us, the pain greatly interferes with our daily lives, and for others, it doesn’t.

The cause of back pain is also varied. If the source of your pain is medical or injury-based, consult a medical doctor for help. However, others might experience discomfort and soreness after activities that their bodies are not accustomed to doing. Lastly, chronic back pain can also result from bad habits that imbalance the muscles and change the natural alignment of the body.

How I’ve learned to manage my back pain

I have had extensive, personal experience with injury and significant imbalances to my body that disrupted my natural body alignment. That was over 20 years ago, and I have learned a lot about how the body works on my lifelong improvement journey. I have experienced significant improvement, yet I continue to work on myself every day.

Here are some of the techniques that I incorporate daily into my life to maintain and improve my wellness.

Almost every day, I spend some time ‘stretching.’

When short on time, I focus on the areas that need the most attention — my back and hips — to keep the pain and tightness under control. Stretching my body helps keep my muscles balanced and the body aligned for less pain. On the contrary, I feel a difference when there is no time for stretching.

Rolling is also a very effective technique.

I have a foam roller that can be used on the floor to roll my hips and backside. A simple tennis ball in a sock works very well here and is inexpensive. The ball effectively targets a small area and can be used against a wall or on the floor. Sometimes, I just lay on the ball for a minute or two, putting pressure on the immediate focus area to momentarily reduce any tension and pain.

Balanced strength is also essential

I try to be aware of my particular weaknesses. Everybody has some. “Are the muscles stronger on one side of the body versus the other side?” That may mean working harder on one side of the body.

One other area of weakness is in my hands due to arthritis. Again, here’s where stretching and strengthening plays a positive role.

A medical doctor told me that I would lose the use of my thumbs because of arthritis. I am sure that kind of news may have been delivered to many of you and only discourages you. Well, I have enough challenges to my health and wellness that I was determined to find a solution. Here’s what I discovered: As long as I stretch and strengthen my hands and wrists, I can do almost everything I need to do! My right hand and wrist need more work than the left because I am right-handed.

A chin-up bar

It’s now installed in the doorway of my bedroom so that every time I enter the room, I am reminded to use it. This technique strengthens my arms, shoulders, and back muscles. Also, using a chin-up bar helps reduce the likelihood of developing ‘spinal stenosis’, compression of the spine leading to pain and nerve damage.

If you decide to incorporate the previous technique into your wellness program, start small. Keep your feet on the floor, holding the bar while gradually reducing the amount of weight on the feet until you can hang from the bar without touching the floor. Eventually, you will want to work up to doing pull-ups. (I am still working on that.)

There is an obstacle course set up in my bedroom. The chin-up bar is the first thing you encounter when entering this room.

Next comes a tray of small stones and pebbles to stand on

This offers various textures and heights to sensitize the bottom of the feet. The uneven surface causes the bones in the feet to move so that the muscles are engaged in ways that normal walking on flat surfaces doesn’t. Start slowly with one foot on the floor and the other foot on the pebbles. Gradually increase the weight on the pebbles until you can put most of your weight on that foot for a minute or two. You need to do this with each foot working towards standing with both feet on the pebbles.

The next obstacle is a half-dome

This is perfect for stretching out the calf muscles. Tight calf muscles restrict movement in the ankles and feet, negatively impacting your ability to stand, balance, and climb stairs. ‘Plantar fasciitis’ is a painful condition on the foot’s bottom and can be caused by tight calves. The “half dome” is useful for stretching out the front of the ankle, as well.

Other tools that are part of my home-based obstacle course are: a resistance band and a small ball. Yoga and meditation sessions are also part of the techniques to keep me moving, reduce pain and stress.

Every time I go in and out of my specially-equipped room, I try to incorporate some of the preceding techniques. Spread throughout the day, it only takes a few minutes to accomplish these techniques.

When one part of the body needs more attention, I might perform some extra techniques before bed. For me, when having done so, I sleep better and have less tightness. In turn, reducing the tightness reduces the back pain and improves my body alignment.

Because of the injuries sustained from my two falls, I need to work every day to stay flexible, strong, and keep my body aligned for less pain.

My goal is to live an active life. If I can do it, you can too!

Remember: healthy and balanced muscles support your body in a better way, giving you the freedom to move easier and become more active.

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