4 Simple Tips to Relieve Back Pain

Back pain affects around 80% of people at least once in their lives. Whether chronic or acute, this moderate to severe pain can disrupt your routine by making basic tasks difficult and excruciating. While some people rely on pain medication to manage this issue, there are more productive ways to deal with back pain.

1. Get a Professional Opinion

First and foremost, if you’re experiencing any kind of medical issue, including pain, it’s best to see your doctor first to get their insight. They may be able to pinpoint exactly what’s causing your pain and help you find the best solution. Doctors often refer patients with back pain to an Austin chiropractor for adjustments or a physical therapist to help them regain mobility after an injury.

2. Stay Active

Exercise is probably the last thing you feel like doing when you’re hurting, but staying active is key to managing pain, especially when it’s chronic. When you’re sedentary, pain tends to settle in and compound due to all the pressure on the discs in your spine. The human body is meant to move around. Muscles and joints need to stretch to stay healthy and functional. Even if you’re unable to hit the gym every day, you can still do stretches at your desk. It’s also important to stand up and walk around occasionally if you have to sit for long periods at work.

3. Manage Stress

For many chronic pain sufferers, stress exacerbates the problem. It may feel like you hold your stress in your neck, shoulders or lower back. While stress is typically thought to be psychological, it affects your body, too, by tightening your muscles, leaving you stiff and sore. This is another reason that movement is important, but it’s also a good idea to identify and mitigate any stressors that could be making it worse. Things like meditation and yoga can often benefit people dealing with lower back pain chiropractor Austin. Therapy can help patients both manage stress and cope with pain.

4. Limit Caffeine

Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee in the morning—or two or three? While caffeine, as a stimulant, may do a great job of waking you up, it could also be adding to your pain by tensing your muscles, especially if your job keeps you sedentary. Consider limiting or eliminating caffeine from your diet temporarily to see if it helps ease back pain.

It can be easy to feel defeated by pain, but the most important thing to do when pain knocks you down is to get back up. These three tips can make a huge difference in your battle for a healthy, pain-free back.