How To Cure Lower Back Pain?

How To Cure Lower Back Pain
2. Stretch and Strengthen – Strong muscles, especially in your abdominal core, help support your back. Strength and flexibility may help both relieve your pain and prevent it. “A lot of times, I encourage people to do that first thing in the morning,” Ray says.

Contents

How do you get rid of lower back pain?

Download Article Download Article Lower back pain is pretty common among Americans, with about 80% of adults suffering from it at some point in their lives. The reason for this is because the lower back (called the lumbar spine) must support the upper body when you run, walk and sit — the compression negatively affects joints, intervertebral discs, ligaments and nerves.

  1. 1 Rest and be patient. The spine is a complex and congested collection of joints, nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Thus, there are many structures that can create pain if you move the wrong way, experience trauma or over-stress the area. However, lower back pain (even when severe) can fade away quickly without treatment — often within a few days.
    • Complete bed rest is no longer recommended for most types of lower back pain. The medical consensus is that at least some light exercise (walking, stair climbing) is helpful for lumbar pain because it stimulates blood flow and can help “loosen” or “unjam” any irritated spinal joints or nerves.
    • If your lower back pain is caused from exercising at the gym, then maybe you’re working out too hard or with bad form — ask a personal trainer for advice.
    • If your lower back pain is work related, speak to your boss about changing to lighter work duties or altering your work area — a cushioned mat for underneath your feet or a chair with lumbar support, for examples.
  2. 2 Use cold therapy for acute low back pain. While you’re resting your lower back and being patient for a few days, consider applying cold therapy. Applying ice or frozen gel packs to any acute (sudden or new) musculoskeletal injury is effective because it numbs the pain and reduces inflammation.
    • Always wrap anything frozen in a thin cloth before applying it to your lower back in order to prevent frostbite or skin irritation.
    • Compressing the cold therapy against your lower back with an elastic bandage or support can also help prevent inflammation from building up.
    • Remember that cold therapy is usually not appropriate for chronic (long term) back pain because it can aggravate symptoms — moist heat often provides more relief.

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  3. 3 Apply moist heat to chronic lower back pain. If your low back pain is chronic and has bothered you on and off for many months or years, then applying moist heat is likely better because it promotes blood flow and relaxes tight muscles and other soft tissues.
    • As an alternative, soak your lower back in a warm Epsom salt bath for at least 20 minutes a few times a day until your symptoms fade away. Epsom salt contains magnesium, which relaxes muscles and reduces swelling.
    • Don’t make your bath water too hot so that it scalds you and remember to keep well hydrated — warm salt baths pull fluid from your skin and can dehydrate you.
    • Applying moist heat or soaking in a warm salt bath is usually not recommended for acute back pain because it increases blood flow and tends to promote inflammation.
  4. 4 Take over-the-counter (OTC) medications. OTC non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve) or aspirin can be effective short-term solutions for acute lower back pain because they reduce inflammation and pain.
    • NSAIDs can be harmful to your stomach and kidneys if taken in large doses or for long periods of time (more than a few months), so be cautious and read labels carefully.
    • Acetaminophen is not so hard on your stomach and kidneys, but it can damage your liver, so don’t overdo it.
    • Another way of relieving low back pain, but without the risk of stomach, kidney or liver irritation, is applying a cream or gel that contains NSAIDs, acetaminophen or natural analgesics such as menthol and capsaicin.
  5. 5 Change your sleeping position. Your sleeping position and/or sleeping environment may be contributing to or causing your lower back pain. For example, sleeping on your stomach can cause too much of an arch in your low back, which compresses and irritates spinal joints and nerves.
    • Changing your sleeping environment usually means making sure what you sleep on is supportive for your spine. In general, beds that are too soft tend to promote back pain, whereas firmer orthopedic beds tend to reduce the incidence of lower back pain.
    • Everyone’s a little different, so a good way to judge your bed is if you’re waking up sore or not. If you wake up sore, then your sleeping position/environment is an aggravating factor. If you’re more sore at the end of the day, then it’s likely your job/activities/exercising is to blame.
    • Keep in mind that most foam and spring mattresses only last about 10 years with constant use, although it depends on your weight. Rotate and flip your mattress on a regular basis (every time you wash your sheets) to increase its longevity.
  6. 6 Improve your posture. Too much slouching while you sit and stand can increase the strain on your low back and lead to irritation or pain. Improving your posture can help reduce back strain and relieve existing back aches. In fact, improving your posture can also help prevent recurrence of lower back pain.
    • Strengthening your core muscles is a good strategy to help improve your posture. Core muscles are those in your low back, lower abdomen and pelvis — they all connect to your spine and/or pelvis in some way to help hold your body upright.
    • To maintain good posture while standing: stand with your weight distributed over both feet and avoid locking your knees. Tighten your stomach and buttock muscles to keep your back straight. Wear supportive shoes and alleviate muscle fatigue by periodically resting one foot on a footstool.
    • To maintain good posture while sitting: choose a firm chair, preferably one with armrests. Keep your upper back straight, but your shoulders relaxed. A small cushion placed behind your lower back can help maintain the natural curve of your lower back. Keep your feet flat on the floor, using a footstool if necessary.
    • It can be helpful to set an alarm on your phone or use an app to remind you throughout the day to check and correct your posture.
  7. 7 Make sure you are using safe lifting techniques. Though there is some disagreement about the best way to lift, as it varies depending on the circumstances, but there are a few basic rules you should try to follow.
    • Test the weight of the load so you are not surprised by and unexpectedly heavy or shifting load. If the load is too heavy, ask for help.
    • Stand as close to the load as possible before lifting, and keep it as close to your body as you can when you are carrying.
    • Do not twist, stretch, or turn at the waist — if you need to turn, do so with your entire body.
    • Appropriate lifting posture may include a squat lift (bending at the knees and hips while keeping your back straight), a stoop lift (keeping your legs straight while bending your back), or a freestyle lift (a semi-squat that allows you to rest the load on your thighs).
  8. Advertisement

  1. 1 Make an appointment with a chiropractor. Chiropractors are doctors who specialize in the spine and other joints. They are trained to treat back problems in natural ways, such as with manual spinal manipulation. Manual manipulation, also called a spinal adjustment, is used to unjam or reposition spinal joints that are slightly misaligned, which triggers inflammation and sharp pain.
    • A single spinal adjustment can sometimes significantly relieve your lower back pain, but usually it takes three to five treatments to really feel much better. Keep in mind that your health insurance may not cover chiropractic care.
    • Chiropractors also use therapies meant more for muscle strains and ligament sprains, which may be more appropriate for your lower back issue. Electronic muscle stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound and TENS treatments are examples of such therapies.
    • Tractioning or stretching your spine with an inversion table can also help lower back pain. Some chiropractors use inversion tables, which allows you to recline your upper body and enlist the help of gravity to decompress your spine.
  2. 2 Get a lower back massage, As noted above, not all lower back injuries are joint related. Many are related to muscle pulls or strains. A pulled muscle happens when the small muscle fibers tear, which causes pain, inflammation and muscle guarding or spasms.
    • A single 30-minute massage session may be enough to soothe your lower back pain, but it often takes a few more sessions to see significant results. For chronic back pain, consider increasing your sessions to an hour and include some mid back and/or leg work also.
    • Drink lots of purified water after any massage in order to flush out inflammatory by-products from your body. Failure to do so might lead to muscle soreness, a headache or some mild nausea.
    • As an alternative to a professional massage, place a tennis ball underneath your low back and roll on it slowly for 15 minutes a few times daily until the pain fades away.
  3. 3 Try some acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing art that involves sticking thin needles into specific points within your skin in efforts to reduce pain and inflammation. Acupuncture for lower back pain can be very helpful, especially if it’s done when your symptoms are acute (fairly new).
    • There is some research evidence that acupuncture really helps chronic lower back pain, but your results may vary.
    • Acupuncture points that provide back pain relief are not all located close to where you feel the pain — some are in distant areas, such as your hand.
    • Acupuncture is now practiced by many health professionals — whoever you choose should be certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
  4. 4 Consider cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) attempts to identify your negative thoughts and beliefs, and then replaces them with more positive ones. More specifically, a CBT approach to treating back pain would focus on how you respond to or perceive your pain symptoms. CBT has shown to help reduce stress and chronic back pain in many people.
    • CBT can be a “last resort” treatment choice for low back pain when nothing else seems to be helpful.
    • Consult your family physician, psychologist or insurance company representative for the names of CBT practitioners in your area. Consider interviewing a couple of them before you decide on which one to proceed with.
  5. Advertisement

  1. 1 Make an appointment with your doctor. If patience, basic home care and alternative therapies are not real helpful in alleviating your lower back pain, then make an appointment with your doctor. They will examine you to see if your pain is caused by a serious spinal issue: herniated spinal disc, entrapped (pinched) nerve, bone infection (osteomyelitis), osteoporosis, stress fracture, advanced arthritis or cancer.
    • X-rays, bone scans, MRI, CT scans and nerve conductance studies are all methods of viewing and diagnosing spinal problems.
    • You may also be sent for a blood test in order to see if you have rheumatoid arthritis or a spinal infection (osteomyelitis or meningitis).
    • You may ultimately be referred to a medical specialist (orthopedist, neurologist, rheumatologist) to better figure out your lower back problem.
  2. 2 Get a physical therapy referral. If your lower back pain is chronic (bothering you for many months or years) and related to weak muscles, bad posture and/or degenerative conditions (“wear and tear” osteoarthritis), you should consider spinal rehabilitation therapy — you’ll likely need a referral from your doctor.
    • For spinal rehabilitation, physiotherapists tend to use a variety of exercise balls, weighted medicine balls, elastic tension bands, electronic muscle stimulation and/or therapeutic ultrasound devices.
    • Effective strengthening exercises that you can do on your own for your lower back muscles include: swimming, rowing, certain yoga positions and back extensions.
  3. 3 Try myofascial trigger point therapy. Your back pain may be related to muscle injury or strain at a trigger point, which can lead to referred pain, or pain that extends to another area. So, though you may be experiencing pain in your lower back, the trigger point may be located elsewhere on your body.
    • Locate a practitioner who is trained to identify and treat myofascial pain. He may use a variety of techniques to release the trigger point.
  4. 4 Consider a steroid injection for your pain. If stronger prescription drugs and/or back rehabilitation don’t prove effective, then an injection of corticosteroid medicine into the joints, muscles, tendons or ligaments of your low can quickly reduce inflammation and pain, and allow better movement.
    • Potential side effects of getting steroid injections include: local infection, excessive bleeding, tendon weakening, muscle atrophy, nerve irritation / damage, and reduced immune system function.
    • Pain relief from steroid injections can last anywhere from a few weeks to many months. Doctors don’t like to give more than two injections per year.
    • If corticosteroid injections don’t give much relief for your lower back pain, then an operation (there’s many different surgical procedures) should be explored with your doctor as a last resort.
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Add New Question

Question What can I do to relieve my lower back pain? Jarod Carter is a Physical Therapist, Consultant, and the Owner of Carter Physiotherapy, a manual physical therapy clinic in Austin, Texas focused on manual therapy as well as telehealth services to resolve pain and injuries. Dr. Carter has over 15 years of professional physical therapy experience. Physical Therapist Expert Answer Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. There’s no one way to treat lower back pain; it depends on what the cause is. In order to get the best treatment for you, find a physical therapist in your area and schedule an appointment so they can diagnose the problem and create a course of treatment.

Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

  • Stress-relieving practices like meditation, tai chi, yoga, pilates and breathing exercises can also help alleviate and prevent lower back pain. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
  • Stay relatively fit because lower back pain is more common in people who are overweight and unfit. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
  • A hip flexor stretch or a quadricep stretch can help with your lower back pain. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Show More Tips Advertisement

  • See your family doctor right away if you experience:
    • Pain extending from your back down the leg
    • Pain that gets worse when you bend over or bend your legs
    • Pain that gets worse at night
    • Unexplained fever and sudden weight loss with back pain
    • Back pain with sudden loss of bladder or bowel control
    • Back pain with numbness or weakness in the legs

    As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Advertisement Article Summary X To treat lower back pain, place cold packs, like gel packs or frozen veggies, on your lower back for 10 minutes every hour. You can also use heat to treat lower back pain, like a warm bath with Epsom salts or an herbal bag.

What is the best alternative medicine for lower back pain?

Alternative medicine – A number of alternative treatments might ease back pain. Always discuss the benefits and risks with your health care provider before starting a new alternative therapy.

Chiropractic care. A chiropractor manipulates the spine to ease pain. Acupuncture. A practitioner of acupuncture inserts thin sterilized needles into the skin at specific points on the body. A growing body of scientific evidence indicates acupuncture can be helpful in treating back pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, also known as TENS. A battery-powered device placed on the skin delivers electrical impulses to the painful area. Studies have shown mixed results as to TENS’ effectiveness. Massage. For back pain caused by tense or overworked muscles, massage might help. Yoga. There are several types of yoga, a broad discipline that involves practicing specific postures or poses, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques. Yoga can stretch and strengthen muscles and improve posture. People with back pain might need to modify some poses if they aggravate symptoms.

Why does my lower back hurt when I work out?

Download Article Download Article Lower back pain is pretty common among Americans, with about 80% of adults suffering from it at some point in their lives. The reason for this is because the lower back (called the lumbar spine) must support the upper body when you run, walk and sit — the compression negatively affects joints, intervertebral discs, ligaments and nerves.

  1. 1 Rest and be patient. The spine is a complex and congested collection of joints, nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Thus, there are many structures that can create pain if you move the wrong way, experience trauma or over-stress the area. However, lower back pain (even when severe) can fade away quickly without treatment — often within a few days.
    • Complete bed rest is no longer recommended for most types of lower back pain. The medical consensus is that at least some light exercise (walking, stair climbing) is helpful for lumbar pain because it stimulates blood flow and can help “loosen” or “unjam” any irritated spinal joints or nerves.
    • If your lower back pain is caused from exercising at the gym, then maybe you’re working out too hard or with bad form — ask a personal trainer for advice.
    • If your lower back pain is work related, speak to your boss about changing to lighter work duties or altering your work area — a cushioned mat for underneath your feet or a chair with lumbar support, for examples.
  2. 2 Use cold therapy for acute low back pain. While you’re resting your lower back and being patient for a few days, consider applying cold therapy. Applying ice or frozen gel packs to any acute (sudden or new) musculoskeletal injury is effective because it numbs the pain and reduces inflammation.
    • Always wrap anything frozen in a thin cloth before applying it to your lower back in order to prevent frostbite or skin irritation.
    • Compressing the cold therapy against your lower back with an elastic bandage or support can also help prevent inflammation from building up.
    • Remember that cold therapy is usually not appropriate for chronic (long term) back pain because it can aggravate symptoms — moist heat often provides more relief.

    Advertisement

  3. 3 Apply moist heat to chronic lower back pain. If your low back pain is chronic and has bothered you on and off for many months or years, then applying moist heat is likely better because it promotes blood flow and relaxes tight muscles and other soft tissues.
    • As an alternative, soak your lower back in a warm Epsom salt bath for at least 20 minutes a few times a day until your symptoms fade away. Epsom salt contains magnesium, which relaxes muscles and reduces swelling.
    • Don’t make your bath water too hot so that it scalds you and remember to keep well hydrated — warm salt baths pull fluid from your skin and can dehydrate you.
    • Applying moist heat or soaking in a warm salt bath is usually not recommended for acute back pain because it increases blood flow and tends to promote inflammation.
  4. 4 Take over-the-counter (OTC) medications. OTC non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve) or aspirin can be effective short-term solutions for acute lower back pain because they reduce inflammation and pain.
    • NSAIDs can be harmful to your stomach and kidneys if taken in large doses or for long periods of time (more than a few months), so be cautious and read labels carefully.
    • Acetaminophen is not so hard on your stomach and kidneys, but it can damage your liver, so don’t overdo it.
    • Another way of relieving low back pain, but without the risk of stomach, kidney or liver irritation, is applying a cream or gel that contains NSAIDs, acetaminophen or natural analgesics such as menthol and capsaicin.
  5. 5 Change your sleeping position. Your sleeping position and/or sleeping environment may be contributing to or causing your lower back pain. For example, sleeping on your stomach can cause too much of an arch in your low back, which compresses and irritates spinal joints and nerves.
    • Changing your sleeping environment usually means making sure what you sleep on is supportive for your spine. In general, beds that are too soft tend to promote back pain, whereas firmer orthopedic beds tend to reduce the incidence of lower back pain.
    • Everyone’s a little different, so a good way to judge your bed is if you’re waking up sore or not. If you wake up sore, then your sleeping position/environment is an aggravating factor. If you’re more sore at the end of the day, then it’s likely your job/activities/exercising is to blame.
    • Keep in mind that most foam and spring mattresses only last about 10 years with constant use, although it depends on your weight. Rotate and flip your mattress on a regular basis (every time you wash your sheets) to increase its longevity.
  6. 6 Improve your posture. Too much slouching while you sit and stand can increase the strain on your low back and lead to irritation or pain. Improving your posture can help reduce back strain and relieve existing back aches. In fact, improving your posture can also help prevent recurrence of lower back pain.
    • Strengthening your core muscles is a good strategy to help improve your posture. Core muscles are those in your low back, lower abdomen and pelvis — they all connect to your spine and/or pelvis in some way to help hold your body upright.
    • To maintain good posture while standing: stand with your weight distributed over both feet and avoid locking your knees. Tighten your stomach and buttock muscles to keep your back straight. Wear supportive shoes and alleviate muscle fatigue by periodically resting one foot on a footstool.
    • To maintain good posture while sitting: choose a firm chair, preferably one with armrests. Keep your upper back straight, but your shoulders relaxed. A small cushion placed behind your lower back can help maintain the natural curve of your lower back. Keep your feet flat on the floor, using a footstool if necessary.
    • It can be helpful to set an alarm on your phone or use an app to remind you throughout the day to check and correct your posture.
  7. 7 Make sure you are using safe lifting techniques. Though there is some disagreement about the best way to lift, as it varies depending on the circumstances, but there are a few basic rules you should try to follow.
    • Test the weight of the load so you are not surprised by and unexpectedly heavy or shifting load. If the load is too heavy, ask for help.
    • Stand as close to the load as possible before lifting, and keep it as close to your body as you can when you are carrying.
    • Do not twist, stretch, or turn at the waist — if you need to turn, do so with your entire body.
    • Appropriate lifting posture may include a squat lift (bending at the knees and hips while keeping your back straight), a stoop lift (keeping your legs straight while bending your back), or a freestyle lift (a semi-squat that allows you to rest the load on your thighs).
  8. Advertisement

  1. 1 Make an appointment with a chiropractor. Chiropractors are doctors who specialize in the spine and other joints. They are trained to treat back problems in natural ways, such as with manual spinal manipulation. Manual manipulation, also called a spinal adjustment, is used to unjam or reposition spinal joints that are slightly misaligned, which triggers inflammation and sharp pain.
    • A single spinal adjustment can sometimes significantly relieve your lower back pain, but usually it takes three to five treatments to really feel much better. Keep in mind that your health insurance may not cover chiropractic care.
    • Chiropractors also use therapies meant more for muscle strains and ligament sprains, which may be more appropriate for your lower back issue. Electronic muscle stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound and TENS treatments are examples of such therapies.
    • Tractioning or stretching your spine with an inversion table can also help lower back pain. Some chiropractors use inversion tables, which allows you to recline your upper body and enlist the help of gravity to decompress your spine.
  2. 2 Get a lower back massage, As noted above, not all lower back injuries are joint related. Many are related to muscle pulls or strains. A pulled muscle happens when the small muscle fibers tear, which causes pain, inflammation and muscle guarding or spasms.
    • A single 30-minute massage session may be enough to soothe your lower back pain, but it often takes a few more sessions to see significant results. For chronic back pain, consider increasing your sessions to an hour and include some mid back and/or leg work also.
    • Drink lots of purified water after any massage in order to flush out inflammatory by-products from your body. Failure to do so might lead to muscle soreness, a headache or some mild nausea.
    • As an alternative to a professional massage, place a tennis ball underneath your low back and roll on it slowly for 15 minutes a few times daily until the pain fades away.
  3. 3 Try some acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing art that involves sticking thin needles into specific points within your skin in efforts to reduce pain and inflammation. Acupuncture for lower back pain can be very helpful, especially if it’s done when your symptoms are acute (fairly new).
    • There is some research evidence that acupuncture really helps chronic lower back pain, but your results may vary.
    • Acupuncture points that provide back pain relief are not all located close to where you feel the pain — some are in distant areas, such as your hand.
    • Acupuncture is now practiced by many health professionals — whoever you choose should be certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
  4. 4 Consider cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) attempts to identify your negative thoughts and beliefs, and then replaces them with more positive ones. More specifically, a CBT approach to treating back pain would focus on how you respond to or perceive your pain symptoms. CBT has shown to help reduce stress and chronic back pain in many people.
    • CBT can be a “last resort” treatment choice for low back pain when nothing else seems to be helpful.
    • Consult your family physician, psychologist or insurance company representative for the names of CBT practitioners in your area. Consider interviewing a couple of them before you decide on which one to proceed with.
  5. Advertisement

  1. 1 Make an appointment with your doctor. If patience, basic home care and alternative therapies are not real helpful in alleviating your lower back pain, then make an appointment with your doctor. They will examine you to see if your pain is caused by a serious spinal issue: herniated spinal disc, entrapped (pinched) nerve, bone infection (osteomyelitis), osteoporosis, stress fracture, advanced arthritis or cancer.
    • X-rays, bone scans, MRI, CT scans and nerve conductance studies are all methods of viewing and diagnosing spinal problems.
    • You may also be sent for a blood test in order to see if you have rheumatoid arthritis or a spinal infection (osteomyelitis or meningitis).
    • You may ultimately be referred to a medical specialist (orthopedist, neurologist, rheumatologist) to better figure out your lower back problem.
  2. 2 Get a physical therapy referral. If your lower back pain is chronic (bothering you for many months or years) and related to weak muscles, bad posture and/or degenerative conditions (“wear and tear” osteoarthritis), you should consider spinal rehabilitation therapy — you’ll likely need a referral from your doctor.
    • For spinal rehabilitation, physiotherapists tend to use a variety of exercise balls, weighted medicine balls, elastic tension bands, electronic muscle stimulation and/or therapeutic ultrasound devices.
    • Effective strengthening exercises that you can do on your own for your lower back muscles include: swimming, rowing, certain yoga positions and back extensions.
  3. 3 Try myofascial trigger point therapy. Your back pain may be related to muscle injury or strain at a trigger point, which can lead to referred pain, or pain that extends to another area. So, though you may be experiencing pain in your lower back, the trigger point may be located elsewhere on your body.
    • Locate a practitioner who is trained to identify and treat myofascial pain. He may use a variety of techniques to release the trigger point.
  4. 4 Consider a steroid injection for your pain. If stronger prescription drugs and/or back rehabilitation don’t prove effective, then an injection of corticosteroid medicine into the joints, muscles, tendons or ligaments of your low can quickly reduce inflammation and pain, and allow better movement.
    • Potential side effects of getting steroid injections include: local infection, excessive bleeding, tendon weakening, muscle atrophy, nerve irritation / damage, and reduced immune system function.
    • Pain relief from steroid injections can last anywhere from a few weeks to many months. Doctors don’t like to give more than two injections per year.
    • If corticosteroid injections don’t give much relief for your lower back pain, then an operation (there’s many different surgical procedures) should be explored with your doctor as a last resort.
  5. Advertisement

Add New Question

Question What can I do to relieve my lower back pain? Jarod Carter is a Physical Therapist, Consultant, and the Owner of Carter Physiotherapy, a manual physical therapy clinic in Austin, Texas focused on manual therapy as well as telehealth services to resolve pain and injuries. Dr. Carter has over 15 years of professional physical therapy experience. Physical Therapist Expert Answer Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. There’s no one way to treat lower back pain; it depends on what the cause is. In order to get the best treatment for you, find a physical therapist in your area and schedule an appointment so they can diagnose the problem and create a course of treatment.

Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

  • Stress-relieving practices like meditation, tai chi, yoga, pilates and breathing exercises can also help alleviate and prevent lower back pain. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
  • Stay relatively fit because lower back pain is more common in people who are overweight and unfit. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
  • A hip flexor stretch or a quadricep stretch can help with your lower back pain. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Show More Tips Advertisement

  • See your family doctor right away if you experience:
    • Pain extending from your back down the leg
    • Pain that gets worse when you bend over or bend your legs
    • Pain that gets worse at night
    • Unexplained fever and sudden weight loss with back pain
    • Back pain with sudden loss of bladder or bowel control
    • Back pain with numbness or weakness in the legs

    As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Advertisement Article Summary X To treat lower back pain, place cold packs, like gel packs or frozen veggies, on your lower back for 10 minutes every hour. You can also use heat to treat lower back pain, like a warm bath with Epsom salts or an herbal bag.

What is the best treatment for a lower back injury?

Home remedies for low back pain – Harvard Health As people enter middle age, they are more likely to experience bouts of low back pain. In fact, according to the, back pain affects about four in five Americans at some point in their lives and equally strikes men and women.

Age is often the culprit. Over time, the bones and joints in your lower back begin to change. Your discs (the structures that serve as cushions between the bones in the spine) tend to wear out and sometimes become fragmented. These structural alterations sometimes cause pain. Another cause of low back pain, although it occurs less often, is a herniated disc.

Sometimes, a disc pushes outside the space between the bones and compresses a nerve at the point where it branches off the spinal cord. When the sciatic nerve that leads into the buttocks and leg is affected, the pain is called sciatica. Yet, most cases of low back pain stem from strain or sprain due to simple overuse, unaccustomed activity, excessive lifting, or an accident.

  • In most cases the best move is to wait and see if the pain resolves on its own.
  • If the pain does not improve after three to four days, then it’s time to see a doctor.
  • However, depending on the source of your back pain and its severity, you might try a few home remedies for low back pain to help ease the pain until your back returns to normal.

Here are several options to consider: Cold and heat therapies. It’s best to use cold compresses or an ice pack, not heat, immediately following a back injury, since this can alleviate pain by numbing the area and prevent or reduce swelling. About 48 hours after the onset of back pain, though, applying heating pads or a hot-water bottle to your back may be helpful.

The warmth soothes and relaxes aching muscles and increases blood flow, which helps the healing process. Keep in mind that heat therapy is only helpful for the first week. Limited bed rest, Once the mainstay of treatment for back pain, bed rest has fallen out of favor. Doctors now know it’s better to keep moving, so that your muscles don’t become stiff.

Bed rest can still be useful relief from low back pain, particularly if your pain is so severe that it hurts to sit or stand. But try to limit it to a few hours at a time and for no more than one or two days. Physical activity. Exercise helps build strong, flexible muscles that will be less prone to injury.

It can also help the healing process for an aching back, prevent problems in the future, and improve function. Work with your doctor to develop an exercise program, or seek a referral to another health professional who can. A good program typically includes the three major forms of exercise: aerobic activity, strength training, and flexibility exercises.

Complementary therapies. Several types of complementary therapy may be helpful for relief from low back pain. These include:

acupuncture, in which therapists insert hair-thin sterilized needles into precise points in the body to release blocked energy spinal manipulation, in which chiropractors apply pressure directly to the body to correct spinal alignment therapeutic massage to relax aching muscles movement therapies, such as yoga and tai chi, which can help stretch and strengthen back muscles.

Although the evidence is mixed about whether these therapies are effective, when they do work, it is often when they are combined with the other home remedies for low back pain. – Executive Editor, Harvard Men’s Health Watch As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

What do you do to relieve lower back pain?

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  • Use both hands to pull one knee into your chest.
  • Tighten your abdominals and press your spine to the floor. Hold for 5 seconds.
  • Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

What are the best remedies for lower back pain relief?

Rest – Most experts agree that prolonged bed rest is associated with a longer recovery period. Further, people on bed rest are more likely to develop depression, blood clots in the legs, and decreased muscle tone. Very few experts recommend more than a 48-hour period of decreased activity or bed rest.

How can I treat my severe lower back pain?

  • Physical Therapy. Exercise is the foundation of chronic back pain treatment.
  • Mindfulness and Meditation. Chronic back pain is straining both physically and emotionally.
  • Diet.
  • Lifestyle Modifications.
  • Injection-based Treatments.
  • Alternative Treatments.
  • Pharmacologic Treatments.

What is the best treatment for lower back problems?

  • Self-help for lower back pain. There are a number of things you can do to help relieve back pain.
  • Medicines. Your GP may recommend that you take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) – for example,ibuprofen.
  • Physical therapies.
  • Psychological therapy.
  • Injections and other procedures.
  • Surgery.