Back Pain Advice
Some useful curated video links for simple back stretching exercises.
These exercises can alleviate pain by reducing the strain on your painful back muscles. Pain can often worsen after prolonged inactivity, such as sitting or when first getting out of bed in the morning. This is because inflamed muscles can go into spasms without movement. Stretching can help to loosen these spasms and decrease the associated pain.
It's always best to consult with your medical healthcare provider before attempting any new stretching exercises. In particular, if you have a history of herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or sciatica, it's important to proceed with caution and avoid stretches that may worsen your symptoms.
Getting in and out of bed (back protection technique)
The back protection technique aims to relieve pressure on the affected muscle by redistributing workload to other parts of the body. By reducing the usage of the injured muscle, you can decrease your pain. This strategy is typically used by patients who have undergone recent back surgery, but can also be helpful for those with lower back injuries. Before getting out of bed, consider doing some stretches to loosen any spasms that may have developed overnight.
Before getting out of bed in the morning, try this!
Lower trunk rotation
Doing this exercise before getting out of bed in the morning will loosen up some of the lower back spasms that built up over night while sleeping. You may also want to take some pain medication 15 to 20 minutes prior to doing these stretches if you find the exercises too painful.
This will help loosen things up a little more
If able, continue to the single knee to chest stretch.
If the pain isn't too severe
Child's Pose
If the pain isn't too severe, the following exercise called the Child's Pose may help stretch out the muscles a little more.
Cat/Cow aka Angry/Happy Cat
The angry cat and happy cat stretch is another very effective stretch you can do to help relieve some of the back spasm.
A better night sleep with back pain
The following video shows you some of the ways to help you get a better night sleep when experiencing back pain
Pain control medication
It is NOT possible to remove all of the pain. The aim of pain medication is to make the pain manageable in conjunction with the back protection technique and back stretching exercises. The pain will eventually go once the injury has healed itself.
Paracetamol is not effective for lower back pain
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or diclofenac can be effective in relieving some of the pain. However, these medications should only be taken for a week or two and should be avoided in patients with kidney, heart, or stomach ulcer problems. Patients with asthma can use NSAIDs as long as previous use of the medication did not trigger an asthma attack. Side effects include stomach ulcers or bleeding from the stomach, kidney, or heart injury.
Sometimes your doctor may prescribe medication such as oxycodone. Oxycodone can reduce back pain in some patients but should be reserved for short-term use. Prolonged use will increase the body's sensitivity to pain and increases the risk of addiction. Side effects include dizziness, nausea, and constipation.
Occasionally, the doctor might prescribe gabapentin or pregabalin if the doctor thinks you have nerve pain. These medications may need to be gradually increased over time by your GP before you will get the maximum benefit from them.
Heat packs can be used to help soothe the pain.
Always return to the emergency department for assessment if you develop any one of the following:
Weakness in your legs
Numbness around your back passage
Bowel incontinence
Bladder incontinence or difficulty passing urine
If the pain worsens or you become unwell