Low back pain! (and what to do when your back 'goes'!)
The season of back pain
I'm sitting in my garden shed working today, sheets of rain blowing past the window and the branches on the apple trees are thrashing in the wind!
It's wild weather as it so often is at this time of year and it's bringing change along with it!
Personally I love it! It feels energising, revitalising, full of excitement for the future; but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and lots of my clients are viewing it with dread. Autumn is on its way.
One thing's for certain; this is the season of back pain.
More people contact me for help with back pain now then at any other time of year, with Christmas coming a close second.
It's possible that this seasonal run of clutched lower backs is caused by overdoing it. Everything is just too much and our bodies can't keep up with us!
The gardeners amongst us are struggling to keep up with the lush, wet growth of everything and are lifting more weight. Parents are juggling with children still at home or returning to school. We've got holidays (luggage and driving) and stacked up work schedules. Or we're just tired aand ready for shorter days.
When low back pain strikes
Back pain is a huge subject but I think for now I'll just give some tips on what to do when low back pain strikes. It might be for the first time or it could be a dismaying repeat of a pattern that's been going on for years.
You might wake up and your back hurts almost immediately, or you might be in the middle of a lift or a turn and feel it 'go'. It might just creep up on you until you realise "oh no!" it isn't going to disappear just as stealthily as it appeared.
You might feel it on one side or both sides of your lower back. Your buttock might hurt. Pain might radiate down your leg whenever you sit or stand or walk.
Truly back pain is one of the worst experiences! It can get in the way of doing all the stuff you love! Stop your lovely plans in their tracks! Make every day living painful.
So what can we do?
So as soon as you can here's what to do.
Step one
Stop whatever you're doing and as soon as you can lie on your back on a firm, warm surface, for example a blanket, or a carpeted floor or a firmish bed. Relax.
Step two
Bring your legs into a bent, relaxed position with your feet hip distance apart.
Step three
Focus on your breathing by taking slow breaths. Breath in to a count of four; allow your belly to swell and expand as you breath in and see if you can allow this expansion into your sides and lower back. Hold at the end of the in-breath for a count of four, then breathe out for four. On the out-breath see if you can gently relax and lengthen your lower back into the ground. At the end of the out-breath hold for another count of four.0
Repeat this sequence for 10 minutes or so if you can and if it's comfortable, your pain should ease up a little. Throughout the day return to step one to three as often as possible.
Step four
In between these rests try to slow your day-to-day activities down. Avoid anything that involves leaning forward or carrying anything in front of you. Try standing underneath a hot shower and let it warm your back up. Place a pillow between your legs if you lie in your side at night.
Your aim is to stop too much muscle spasm building up around the area you've hurt, which will lengthen and complicate your recovery time.
Your injury will always always be asking for rest (but not sitting) so that your body can heal it; so let it do that. Try to avoid too many painkillers and vigorous physio exercises at this stage. If you can, allow your pain to guide you in the positions and actions that will speed up your recovery and this will be very specific to you and your back.
Of course if you see any real red flag signs; especially not being able to pee or move your bowels, you'll need specialist help as fast as possible but for most low back pain these tips should help in the first few hours and days.
Get in touch
Good luck! And call us so we can give you some further support for a happier, stronger back that won't fail you in the future.