7 Ways to Manage and Prevent Lower Back Pain

​Back pain can be a common occurrence for someone who is working in an office all day long. No matter how old you are or what you spend your days doing, if you experience back pain, it is vital to seek some form of relief as soon as possible. 

​After all, you will want to get rid of the pain, but it may become a bigger problem if you ignore it. The first point of call would be your GP is the pain came on suddenly or if you never had one and can't figure out what might have caused it.

The following 7 tips will come in handy for people who suffer from chronic back pain. If your GP or physio is encouraging you to start or keep exercising, these ideas will help you manage your pain, and when performed regularly, they will contribute to prevention.

#1. Gentle Exercise

You may assume that the best thing you can do for back pain is rest until it goes away. However, this is not always the case. With many types of back pain, it can get worse if you rest too much. 

Instead, try to do a bit of gentle exercise, such as light stretching of the muscles, which may help lower back pain or even get rid of it altogether. Try going out for a slow walk if you are unsure.

#2. Improve Core Strength

Most chronic back pain originates in weak muscles around your spine, pelvis and abdominal area. You can start working on these every day. There are several different ways that you can go about this, no need to hit the gym. You can do plenty of exercises using your body weight, like plank variations, the dead bug or downward dog.

You can also use a swiss ball that can increase the challenge on your core muscles. You can even sit on a ball intermittently for approximately 20 or minutes while working. It will keep your core area constantly engaged.

Aside from this, you can also try water therapy, which offers a much greater range of motion because of the water's buoyancy, especially for exercises that demand you to lift your legs. 

In addition to this, you should also look at add low-impact cardiovascular exercise to your daily routine. Brisk or normal walking is a prime example. This will help to stretch your muscles while increasing the flow of blood to your spine.

#3. Try Yoga

Another form of exercise that you can try to get rid of back pain is yoga. Yoga does not only help to reduce pain, but it can be incredibly therapeutic as well. How does it help manage and minimise back pain, though? You will achieve that through yoga by loosening tight muscles and building range of motion and strength. It also helps to improve breathing too.

#4. Get a Better Night's Sleep

Sleep disturbances often cause back pain, especially the chronic type of pain. To improve your health, you need to improve your sleep. Experiment with different sleeping positions and invest in a good quality mattress. It would help if you also tried adding an extra pillow under your body while sleeping. This is an excellent way to maintain the natural curve in your spine.

#5. Purchase an Ergonomic Chair for Your Office

If you have to sit for many hours a day at work, investing in an ergonomic office chair makes a lot of sense. If you slouch forward while you work at your desk, this will place more pressure on the discs in your lower back, and this can cause additional issues, like disc degeneration. 

An ergonomic office chair will support your lower spine's natural curve, ensuring you are correctly aligned, and your thighs and back are supported correctly. For added support, you may want to consider putting a small, rolled-up towel in the small of your back. Many people find that practice effective.

#6. See an Osteopath

One of the easiest and most effective ways to get rid of back pain, especially if it is a recurring problem, is to book an appointment with a therapist who can examine your body as a system for movement. Chronic lower back pain can be the result of many issues that aren't that obvious.

An osteopath can take you through a full-body assessment to identify areas of weakness, tight soft tissue or even skeletal problems. They will then use a range of therapy methods depending on your situation, including massage, trigger point or manipulation of your joints to help get rid of the pain and encourage the body to heal itself. 

#7. Consider Icing or Heat Packs

​Intermittent icing is effective for acute issues when pain comes on suddenly, or trauma happens to reduce swelling. Heat packs are great for chronic pain and when you are experiencing muscle spasms, cramping, and tensions.