When you are suffering from lower back pain that affects your daily activities or even impedes your work, pain relief is the foremost thing in your mind.

According to this research back pain is one of the foremost reasons why people miss work in America.

Finding a solution to your lower back pain may require a graduated approach. You can start by trying out some home remedies, if that doesn’t work, then you can support it with OTC medications.

If you continue to experience chronic low back pain despite your efforts, you may need to see a doctor to prescribe more serious pain management interventions.

In this article, we will look at how you can relieve lower back pain.

5 Ways to Relieve Lower Back Pain

1. Exercise

Most people that suffer from back pain may not want to exercise but that is the very thing they should do to relieve pain.

Low back pain relief can be achieved by stretching and exercising stiff muscles. Exercising does not only promote movements that remove muscle aches but also helps to release endorphins, the feel-good hormone that alleviates pain.

Exercises that help with lower back pain are usually targeted at strengthening your core muscles and abdominal muscles to enable you to keep them strong. Some exercises that help include:

Partial Crunches

To perform a partial crunch here is what to do

• Lie down flat, lift both knees and place your feet on the floor
• Place your hand behind your head.
• Lift your shoulders slowly off the floor, and avoid pulling your head with your hand
• Hold for a second and slowly put your shoulders back on the floor
• Do this for 15- 30 seconds at a time

Bridge

To perform a bridge exercise, here is what you need to do

• Lie flat on the floor and raise your knees while keeping your feet on the floor
• Raise your hip until your knees are at the same height as your shoulders
• Hold for 10 seconds and then repeat.

Supine Toe Tap

To perform a supine toe tap, here is what you need to do

• Lie down flat on the floor and raise your knee with your feet on the floor
• Raise one leg and tap softly while keeping the other foot flat on the floor, repeat for the other foot.

There are other exercise types that help with lower back pain, examples are knee to chest stretch, pilates, and hamstring stretch. The hamstring muscles contribute to supporting your back, that is why it is important that you pay attention to them.

To avoid making your lower back pain worse, always consult with your doctor before you embark on any exercise.

2. Physical Therapy

Lower back pain can be managed through physical therapy, a physical therapist supports people who suffer pain with different ways of managing their pain.

This could be through education, advice, exercise, and manual therapy. Examples of physical therapy that can be used to relieve back pain include:

Heat Treatment

A hot water bottle or heating pad can be applied to tight muscles to help relieve pain and increase flexibility.

Stiff or tight muscles respond to heat treatment because it helps to loosen the muscles.

Most people will follow a heat impact application with mild exercise like stretching because the muscles become pliable and can stretch at this point without pain.

TENs Therapy

To use TENS therapy for lower back pain relief, apply the electrodes directly to the areas where the pain is.

The machine works through the use of electrodes that stimulate sensory nerves to initiate pain relief.

TENS therapy can be done with the TENS machine either at the Chiropractors office or at home.

The machine comes with a handheld controller that enables one to choose the frequency of the stimulation and also the range of options for stimulation.

3. Use Supplements

While lower back pain may often look like it should be treated with only physical measures, seeking to correct a vitamin deficiency should also be part of your regimen.

For example, a lack of Vitamin D in your diet often impacts your bone health which is a major cause of lower back pain.

Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium, so when there is a deficiency in Vitamin D levels in your body, you will not have healthy bones which will lead to osteoporosis.

Taking care of your bone is essential to managing pain. Other supplements that help alleviate lower back pain include Turmeric, Vitamin C, Omega-3 fatty acids, and Magnesium.

4. Use Medicated Creams

Medicated creams can be used as pain relievers for your lower back pain, some medicated creams contain certain compounds that help to relieve lower back pain.

They work majorly by either blocking the pain signals from reaching the brain, numbing the area of pain, or relieving inflammation and swelling.

Medicated creams often used as pain relievers include Capsaicin, Lidocaine, Menthol, and Camphor.

5. Posture Correction

People may experience lower back pain because of bad posture occasioned by their seating position.

One of the first things that doctors tend to look into when treating lower back pain is posture. Often times posture correction exercises can help one deal with lower back pain

Slouching while working often deconditions back muscles which causes pain.

Reconditioning such muscles with exercise can help to alleviate the pain. Other adjustments may include implementing an ergonomic workspace and ensuring proper seating posture while working.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lower Back Pain Relief

How do I make lower back pain go away? While some lower back pain can actually go away when the root cause has been dealt with, others may be managed because it can not be done away with. Visit your doctor to determine the cause of your low back pain and then determine what type of treatment you should undertake.

What is the fastest way to relieve back pain? One of the fastest ways to ease lower back pain is to use a heating pad, this provides immediate relief, you can also take an OTC pain medication in addition.