Back pain is one of the most common forms of chronic pain, afflicting millions of people every day. If you are one of these people, you should not just try to live with your pain. There are effective treatments that have been shown to provide fast, safe relief from this ailment. To learn more about managing your back pain, read the following advice.
A good first step to managing your back pain is to keep a record of your pain. Write down when it happens, how long it lasts, how intense it feels and what you were doing when you started feeling it. You can use this record to try to figure out what might be causing or exacerbating your back pain so that it will be easier to know what changes you need to make in your lifestyle.
You should also talk to your doctor about your back pain. While most back pain has fairly obvious causes, there are times when it can be a sign of some more serious condition. By talking to your doctor, he or she can perform any needed tests to determine what might be causing your pain.
Your doctor may recommend certain medications to you to help you manage your pain. Follow his or her recommendations and take these medications as directed. If you notice any side effects, tell your doctor immediately so that he or she can adjust your dosage or prescribe an alternative.
In general, you should avoid doing much heavy lifting when you suffer from back pain. It is particularly important to avoid this activity when you are actually in pain. One of the most common causes of back pain is an injury resulting from lifting something that is too heavy. If you continue to try to lift heavy objects, you can injure yourself more severely and make your back pain much worse.
Try to exercise your back as frequently as possible, as well as doing stretches and other physical therapy. The stronger your back muscles are, the less likely you will be to strain them and experience back pain. Stretching will also loosen up your muscles and make them less prone to injury. Be sure to warm up before you do any serious activity so that you do not hurt yourself.
If you find a technique that provides relief, stick with it. Do not keep trying new things if something is already working for you. Only look for new solutions if you are unable to find relief or if a method is no longer helping you manage your pain effectively. Remember, you do not want to do anything that will make your back pain worse.
Back pain afflicts different people for many different reasons, but anyone who suffers from it wants to find relief. Do not just accept that there is nothing you can do for your pain. Instead, start using the advice from this article to see if it can help you reduce your back pain or even eliminate it entirely.