Back Pain Management
Back pain management is a common issue prevalent in everyone from athletes to executives. It seems regardless of what we do, experiencing back pain is inevitable at some point.
And there are all kinds. It can be a light, a one-time thing, and non-recurring. But for many people, it’s a painful inconvenience that feels impossible to escape.
Before we jump into solutions, let’s take a look at causes and why we’re often susceptible. After, we’ll jump into a few things to aid in back pain management.
Causes of back pain
Back pain is often caused by activities that put a strain on the muscles and joints located at the back. This can be as simple as sitting or standing in a spot for a long time or carrying heavy objects. Squatting or bending from the back and not hip-hinging could be a cause. As you can see, a variety of physical contributors are at play for acute symptoms. But for chronic conditions, there are a few others to consider as well.
Causes of chronic back pain may be related to:
Age
As we get older, back pain often becomes a common health condition. And it’s more common for those with active days or while working under physical stress. This is especially common when recovery isn’t adequate.
Moreover, as we age some may begin to experience inelasticity of the muscles in the back. This can be more common for those who are sedentary or have reduced levels of activity.
Lack of exercise
A variety of studies found those who don’t engage in fitness best practices are more prone to back pain.
Activity and exercise help maintain the integrity of a variety of physical structures. This is important to ward off any intervertebral wear and tear that can result in back pain.
Excess body fat
An important factor that causes back pain is excess weight, body fat in particular. Being “overweight” can put a strain on muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints in the spine. This happens when the pelvis is pulled to the front of your body. A poor spinal position may lead to degeneration of the spine over time thereby causing back pain.
Improper lifting of heavy objects
Lifting heavy objects with poor technique can result in strain on the muscles. Not only that, but you also run the risk of ligament and tendon damage. A perfect recipe for back pain.
Smoking
A study from Northwestern University looked a smokers and back pain. The findings demonstrated smokers experience back pain 3 times more often than non-smokers.
They found that smoking decreased blood and fluid flow to the lower spine. The result was a decrease in the supply of nutrients to intervertebral discs.
Pregnancy
Changes occur in a woman’s midsection during pregnancy. One change is that the body produces the relaxin hormone. This hormone causes ligaments in the spine and pelvis to relax and loosen. This relaxation can lead to less lumbar stability which can result in back pain.
Back Pain Management
Health-focused personnel offers a variety of options to treat acute and chronic back pain. Muscle relaxers, painkillers, and even surgery to name a few.
The potency and efficiency of the treatments above have their place. But, there are other approaches. One way to treat back pain without resorting to chemicals and surgery is massage therapy.
You might be wondering what massage can achieve in getting rid of back pain for good. Well, let’s take a closer look at all the benefits of massage.
Massage Therapy to Manage Back Pain
Massage therapy is the practice of manipulating your body’s tissues. Ligaments, connective tissues, and tendons of the body need structure. Properly adjusting these tissues brings relief, ease and calm to the body and mind.
Massage therapy helps increase the flow of blood, oxygen, and other fluids. The process enables a variety of bodily processes including the release of hormones. Improving your body’s tissues helps in a few ways. One is aiding your ability to reduce stress, tension, anxiety, pain, and even depression.
There are different types of massage therapies used to treat back pain, such as:
Swedish Massage
This is one the most popular of all massage therapies. It helps increase blood flow, reduces muscular and joint tension, and promotes flexibility.
Swedish massage involves gentle kneading through long strokes often in a circular motion.
Trigger Point
The trigger point massage is one of the best therapies to treat back pain. It is a massage that works on trigger points or hot spots in the body. You know the areas. They’re parts of muscle and connective tissue that sense pain, often to the touch.
Trigger point therapy relies on elbows, hands, knuckles, and fingers. These are often your massage therapist’s choice of the best pain-point-seeking implements. The result is notable to improve your tissue quality in as little as a single session.
Deep Tissue
Deep tissue massage is different from the therapies above. It is a detailed, persistent, and consistent application of pressure where tendons and joints are kneaded to stimulate recovery. It’s done so in a systematic fashion to not target the area of discomfort alone.
For lasting relief, a good massage therapist will take a holistic approach. They’ll ensure all related systems are in order so you can get back to feeling you’re very best.