Anyone who has ever had to deal with back pain knows that it’s no fun. Whether it is minor, acute pain or a chronic problem, back injuries never fail to get in the way of a person’s day and well-being. Whatever the reason for your back pain, it is, of course, very important that you take the proper precautions to prevent further injury and get treated by a specialized medical professional. If you are finding yourself in great discomfort in between doctor’s appointments and medical treatment for your back pain or injury, there are some things you can do at home on your own. And they’re not just effective ways to alleviate some of the pain and discomfort, they are incredibly luxurious too. In this post, we will uncover six ultra luxurious ways to sooth your back pain.
1. Get Your Yoga On:
There is no need to be an experienced yogi or yogini who practices everyday to enjoy and reap the benefits of yoga. If you are suffering from mild back pain and you have been approved to do so by your doctor, take up a yoga class or just try some yoga at home (YouTube has lots of free yoga videos that you can follow along to). Just fifteen minutes is enough to give your back a gentle stretch while strengthening it and feeling better after your first session. Make sure you aren’t jumping into a more strenuous form of yoga like vinyasa, which is a cardio-based, very active yoga discipline. Try some basic yoga poses for beginners and focus on stretches and deep breathing. To make your yoga practice even more luxurious and soothing, mix it with some calming music, dim lighting, a Himalayan salt rock lamp or candles, and lavender essential oil diffused throughout the room.
2. Schedule a Massage Appointment:
Massages are more than just deeply luxurious activities to save for special occasions or for when you feel like splurging on yourself. A massage is an excellent way to address chronic back pain and feel relaxed during and after the appointment. In fact, it has been noted that people who got one massage a week for ten weeks saw a noticeable difference in their pain levels. With the approval of your doctor, look into reputable massage therapists who will help address your back pain and provide you with a gentle, high quality massage. Scheduling regular appointments with a licensed massage therapist is also a tremendous way to restore any lost mobility in the back and manipulate the spine to improve any structural problems. Before your massage appointment, make sure to discuss with the licensed therapist what your back ailment is and how severe the pain has been. You want to be sure that they are fully aware of your pain so they are able to effectively help alleviate some if not all of it while making sure that you don’t experience any further pain or injury.
3. Indulge in Your Favorite Activity:
If you don’t have a favorite activity that comes to mind, get one quick. Discover a hobby that makes you happy. As unrelated as it may seem, your mood has an effect on the pain you experience, especially in your lower back. If the pain seems too annoying to ignore and pain relievers have not worked, find something that genuinely distracts you from everything else (especially nuisances like back pain). Many people who live with chronic pain have discovered that doing just three things they love a day is enough to take away a considerable amount of pain. This could be a hug from a loved one, time spent with your children or grandchildren, a delicious cup of coffee with some dark chocolate, or a brisk walk in the sunshine with your dog. Find what you love to do and commit to doing it every day in order to shift your mood and experience less pain.
4. Nap With a Heating Pad:
It’s so simple, yet feel amazingly luxurious. People who suffer from either acute or chronic back pain are all too familiar with the difficulty of sleeping peacefully. An injured back can make it quite hard for people to sleep comfortably. Not only is this a huge inconvenience, too many nights without restful sleep will lead to other short-term and long-term health problems. When you sleep at night, try turning on your side and supporting yourself with pillows. Make sure your mattress is comfortable yet firm. And try sleeping with a large body pillow in front of you to support you on both sides. In addition to making an effort to improve your sleep at night, you should try to squeeze in a nap whenever possible. Naps are certainly not just for children and adults, especially those suffering from back pain, will definitely benefit from them. Commit to a certain time to nap everyday and don’t forget a heating pad. The heat will soothe much of the pain even if it is temporary.
5. Get Into Some Hot Water:
Whether it is a hot tub or your own bathtub, most people with back pain can reap some huge benefits from a soothing bathe. If you just had back surgery, consult with your doctor about when you can start taking baths again. You don’t want to end up infecting your incision. Once you get the OK to start bathing once more, draw yourself a hot bath and soak for at least fifteen minutes. There are numerous ways you can spruce up your bath experience and indulge in even more creative ways to bathe. Include some essential oils or bath salts to make your whole body feel even more relaxed.
6. Pump Some Endorphins:
You are probably familiar with health gurus encouraging you to hop into a rigorous, 60-minute cardio session to reap the benefits of endorphins (the happy chemicals). You can still release those endorphins without the heavy cardio. And when you have a back injury, you really can’t get too intense with your workouts anyway. Other ways to release endorphins is by meditating, going for a leisure swim, hiking nature trails, and getting fresh air. So why is it so important to release endorphins and how does that help alleviate back pain? It turns out that natural happy chemicals that are released throughout the body are equally as effective as any manufactured pain medication. Endorphins are also necessary to help alleviate stress, anxiety, and even depression. It is not uncommon for anyone suffering from back pain or some form of back injury to be susceptible to the aforementioned ailments. Naturally, having both back pain and anxiety or depression just makes the whole experience even worse for a person. But that can quickly be addressed by regularly getting a hefty dose of endorphins everyday.
The original article can be found here.
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