If you’re struggling with lower back pain, you may not know what steps to take to make the pain more manageable. Are there options you can use at home to help maintain a sense of normalcy? What steps should you take? Are there any products you should invest in? If you’re looking for answers to these questions, we may be able to help.
We know that lower back pain can be stressful and feel seriously inhibiting to your regular life, but we have a few suggestions that you might want to try. In fact, we know about a few helpful exercises and practices that might help. If you’re looking for a few tips and tricks on how to reduce lower back pain, please continue reading for our complete breakdown.
- Maintain Good Posture With a High-Quality Back Brace
If you’re experiencing a lot of lower back pain, you may be sitting a lot. However, if you’re maintaining a sedentary lifestyle, you may not be maintaining good posture practices. At work and home, it’s easy to settle into postures that result in worsening pain. If you are having a difficult time maintaining healthier posture, whether you’re sitting or standing, you may want to invest in a high-quality back brace.
A good back brace may help you maintain the correct posture to help strengthen specific muscles and reduce pain. Purchasing a back brace may help you take the extra weight off particular pressure points in your lower back. If you haven’t tried improving your posture but know you generally have issues remembering to upkeep new habits, you may want to get a back brace to force your body into a healthier position. In many circumstances, a back brace can help you correct your posture and significantly reduce the pain you’re experiencing.
- Get More Exercise
Your doctor is likely to recommend that you exercise even if you’re dealing with lower back pain. This is because a sedentary lifestyle may weaken your spinal muscles, especially if you’re maintaining poor posture. For this reason, especially if you know you have poor posture, pairing regular exercise with the use of a back brace may be extremely helpful.
Many doctors suggest getting at least 30 minutes of exercise at least three times weekly. This can be as simple as taking a brisk walk or regularly taking your dog around the block. If you can safely manage to get more than this lower threshold of exercise, this may also benefit you and decrease your lower back pain.
- Stretch and Strengthen
In addition to recommending more exercise, many doctors encourage you to stretch and improve strength in certain areas around your body. Specifically, your abdominal muscles can help support your lower back, making it easier for your body to hold up your back comfortably and reduce pain.
If you’re looking for specific practices to experiment with, you might want to try yoga, pilates, or tai chi. Alternatively, you can look up exercise plans focusing on strengthening the abdomen. Just be cautious and ensure you don’t push yourself too hard and cause injury.
- Add a Pillow or Rolled Towel
If you’re dealing with lower back pain, you may want to add some extra support to the area whenever you lie down. Placing a rolled towel or pillow underneath your lower back may provide the necessary cushion to offer relief and relaxation.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you’re overweight, the extra pounds may add unnecessary weight to your back. By reaching a healthy weight, you may be able to reduce the strain and pain in your back. However, if you are unsure how to reach a proper weight safely, please speak to a doctor or medical health professional about your concerns. A professional may be able to help you create a strong strategy and make suggestions for how to get started and make progress.
- Stop Smoking
If you smoke, stopping may be able to greatly reduce your lower back pain. While breaking a smoking habit can be difficult, this may be necessary to return to a sense of normalcy and reduce the pain you’re currently experiencing.
Smoking may weaken the bones located in and along your spine, and this activity may also cause the area to lose the necessary nutrients that keep your muscles and bones strong and supported. Smoking might also remove any existing cushion in the area, increasing the likelihood for you to experience pain and strain in your lower back.
Conclusion
If you are struggling to maintain your lower back pain and would like to reduce the strain from home, there are many steps you can take to start making serious progress. Decreasing your lower back pain may help you return to a sense of normalcy in your life, especially if you receive advice from a medical health professional. We hope that you found our suggestions helpful, but please note we are not here to provide medical advice.
