If you regularly suffer from pain somewhere throughout your back, then chances are that you'll be searching for useful and effective tips for spine pain management. Many people suffer from regular back and spine related problems for a range of reasons, particularly today when many of us spend so much time sitting in front of a computer. When we sit for long periods of time, this places additional gravitational pressure on our spines, which prompt a more significant influx of lower back pain and posture-based problems.
Fortunately, there are plenty of tips for spine pain management that you can use to get your discomfort under control. What's more, many of the tips that we will cover here can be incorporated easily and quickly into your daily routine as a simple way of managing pain.
Cold Therapy Solutions:
Even though there are a range of high-tech medical options available for spine pain on the market today, simply applying an ice pack to the injured area can still be one of the most effective methods of removing discomfort. Ice is usually the most effective for spine pain management when it is applied as soon as an injury happens. Ice can also be incredibly useful when it comes to removing post-operative discomfort and pain. Remember to wrap ice in a towel and do not place it directly on the skin as this can lead to burns.
Heat Therapy:
The most obvious alternative to cold therapy solutions for spine pain management is heat therapy. While the qualities of heat and warmth have long been associated with relaxation and comfort, the reality of heat therapy generally goes much further. It provides pain relief and healing benefits to people in a range of different ways. Heat therapy, including hot baths, warm gel packs, and heating pads can be very simple and inexpensive.
While some patients with back pain discover that they respond best to ice therapy, others respond better to heat. It's worth trying to alternate the two therapies and see what works better for your specific circumstances.
Water Therapy and Massage:
Massage therapy has long been seen as a useful and relaxing method for getting rid of various different types of muscular and joint pain. A massage may not only remove some of the discomfort around your spine, but it has also been proven to help improve your quality of sleep and lessen feelings of depression and anxiety, which might accompany your pain. If your health insurance doesn't cover massage, then you might need to opt for alternative methods. In some cases, you might be able to ask a friend to help you with some self-massage techniques, but professional solutions are most likely to have the best impact.
Another treatment option different to heat, cold, and massage therapy is the relatively new concept of water therapy. In addition to the physical therapy solutions that water therapy can provide, water has the extra benefits that come with sensory alterations and relaxation thanks to hydrostatic pressure and temperature. Water also reduces the pressure on the joints of the spine to allow for greater motion and stretching opportunities.