Home Remedies For Back Pain

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The most common cause of back pain is tight, strained muscles. Whether it’s from sleeping in an awkward position, a pulled muscle or from overwork, the following home remedies for back pain might help alleviate some discomfort. Please note – if the back pain is severe, lasts more than a week, comes with a fever, lower body numbness, incontinence or other symptoms, seek medical assistance immediately. Note also, this article is not medical advice nor a substitute for professional medical evaluation.

Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is used for a long list of aches and pains, including muscle strains and back pain. ^[1] Chamomile tea is also regarded as valuable for menstrual cramps and muscle spasms, so you could be hitting two birds with one stone drinking a cup or two of this. It’s also a sleep aid, which you’ll likely need for the next tip.

Get Some Sleep
It’s a bit of a conundrum; when your back hurts, you can’t get a good night’s sleep. However, studies show that lack of sleep actually increases our pain perception, with the added effect of making us anxious. ^[2] Both of which isn’t going to help us get better at all. So getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for alleviating back pain. Taking valerian root might help you get some shut eye. Sleeping on your side might also help lessen pressure and align your back neutrally.

Sort Your Bed Out
Or better yet, get a new one. The American Chiropractic Association recommends a mattress with medium firmness for people who find themselves struggling with back pain. ^[3] The surface that you sleep on can make a huge difference to the amount of back pain you experience: Mattresses that are too soft increases the curvature of the spine, which may be the reason why some people wake up with a bad back in the morning. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs, and a special neck pillow under your head may be beneficial to some people.

Massage
A good massage, shiatsu or RolfingTM from a skilled practitioner may be valuable in getting the knots out of painful, hard muscles – which can in turn help with posture.

Stretch and Press
In one study, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong, and acupuncture were (surprisingly) perceived to be more effective than a trip to the masseuse by experienced back pain sufferers. ^[4] If you’re experiencing back pain, it might be time to stretch those aching muscles or book an appointment with an acupuncturist for some relief. If you find the needles unsettling, acupressure might be a helpful alternative, since it uses the same principles for pressure points without the needles.

Practice Better Breathing
Specific poses and breathing techniques designed to alleviate back pain were found by researchers to have worked in as little as 7 days. ^[5] Additionally, these may also improve mobility and ease anxiety. Ask your local yoga instructor for asanas and pranayamas that you can practice at home to help a bad back and reduce muscle tension.

Apply a compress
An ice pack to the back might help back pain caused by contact sports or standing up too fast. But if the pain persists after 24 hours, switch to applying warm compress to increase blood circulation to your back. Increased blood circulation may help twisted, aching muscles relax. Make sure you don’t directly apply the compress to naked skin by wrapping it in a towel, and allow at least a minute’s rest for every 15 minutes of application to avoid skin damage.

Pain reducing foods
Although it is not considered medically proven, some foods have shown surprising potential for pain reduction in scientific research. Here is a list: Top 20 Natural Painkillers In Your Kitchen

Use Topical Analgesics
Creams with capsaicin as the active ingredient are sometimes used for aches and pains. ^[6] Just make sure you’re not allergic to peppers before using them, and look for the ones that have 0.05%-0.08% as these percentages have been found to be the most effective.