If you suffer from chronic back pain, then you may be searching for ways to eliminate your discomfort. And, in your attempt to control your pain, you may make some fairly significant pain control mistakes. Keep reading to learn about a few of the more common missteps and what you should be doing instead.
Mistake: Constant Use Of Ice Or a Heating Pad
Heating pads and ice packs can be incredibly useful when it comes to controlling back pain. However, many people choose to use these items excessively. Excessive use of heat and ice can cause tissue damage, causing more pain and soreness. So, you want to minimize your use of them and use cold and hot therapy correctly.
Use an ice pack on your back for situations when you have a strain or an inflammation problem. For example, if you have pulled a muscle or if you feel swelling around the back after a workout session. Also, if you experience an intense muscle spasm, then ice can help to calm the muscle and numb the region. Ice packs should be wrapped in towels and never used directly on the skin. Apply the ice for only 20 minutes or until you notice that the back area is numb.
When it comes to heat, you want to use a heating pad when you experience stiffness. This is especially helpful in the morning when sores muscles make it hard to get out of bed. And, use the heating pad for only 20 minutes to loosen up muscles and to bring blood flow to the area. Keep in mind that while it may be soothing to keep the heating pad on a sore back for an hour or more, this can actually increase inflammation, so use a timer to keep track of how long you are using the heating pad.
Mistake: Resting Too Much
Your physician will tell you to rest if you have an injury that is causing your back pain. However, when it comes to chronic and long-term pain conditions, you should be exercising to reduce your discomfort. Exercise will increase bloodflow to encourage healing and it will also force stiff and tight muscles to relax. And, when strength training is paired with aerobic exercise, you can start to build up the tissues. This helps to create a support structure around the spine to prevent future injuries and to also reduce present pain.
When you create your exercise regimen, you want to start slowly with stretching exercises. After a few weeks, you can use light weights. You may have more questions about how to ease back pain relief, and you can check out various websites to learn more about what you can do.