Having lower back pain is one of the most debilitating feelings in the world. If you have ever had it then you will know that it can affect every single part of your life.
You will probably have to stay in bed for long periods of time and you might withdraw from relationships. You won’t be able to do even the simplest things that other people take for granted, like washing the dishes or walking up stairs.
Doctors
You will have done the right thing by getting to the doctors as soon as you had the injury, but you might find that a regular GP will treat the symptoms and not necessarily the back injury itself. The doctor might have given you some painkillers and told you to rest, but you can’t do that for the rest of your life. That is why it is better to see a specialist doctor, so you would have been better asking your GP for a referral to a back pain specialist.
If you have had back pain for a while and you feel like it is ruining your life, then it is important that you read on for some tips for how to deal with the pain.
Ice
This might sound really simple, but when the pain is at it’s worst, you should put some ice on it, especially if you know that it is muscle pain. Putting ice on the affected area will reduce the swelling.
A lot of people make the mistake of putting heat pads on the area, when the pain is bad, but heat actually makes the injury work. Whilst the heat will feel good and your muscles might relax, heat will actually make the muscle swell up even more.
Move through the pain
If you have back pain, the worst thing that you can do is stop moving. This does not mean that you should go running or swimming, or anything like that, but you should go for walks and do the things that you would normally do, around the house.
If you stop moving, then your spine will become stiff and the pain will get even worse. So you should keep moving and if the pain get’s too bad, you should stop to rest for a short period and take some medication so that the pain is reduced.
Moving through the pain will also help with your frame of mind because if you are stuck in bed, then you will begin to feel depressed and you are less likely to get out of bed. However, if you keep doing things and keep yourself busy, you won’t sink into a depression because you won’t feel like the injury is affecting your life as much.
Once you get to the point where you are feeling less pain, but the muscle isn’t as strong as it should be, you can ask your doctor to send you for some rehabilitation instructors. This should be covered on the NHS, but you do have the option of going private if the waiting list is too long.
When you go to your appointment, you might find that you are doing pilates. This is a brilliant form of exercise for back rehabilitation because it will strengthen your lower back. Furthermore, it is not intensive on your body, you will be exercising through gentle movement, so there isn’t a high risk of further injury.
During pilates, you will learn exercises for coping with the pain and the breathing exercises will actually calm you down and release any stresses that you might be feeling.
About London Osteopath Pilates
London Osteopath Pilates is a leading London based Pilates center. The main instructor is David Canevaro and he is qualified and experienced in rehabilitation pilates and sports therapy. He has worked with many clients and has helped them to overcome a variety of problems. He is a dedicated health professional and is determined to better the well-being of his clients. He offers brilliant customer service and understands that every client is different. He gets most of his clients through referrals because current clients enjoy his personality and the high level of service that he provides. You can visit his website at http://www.london-osteopathy-pilates.co.uk
by David Canevaro
