Understanding Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most common pains that individuals experience. It can result from a strain (injury) to muscles or tendons in the back. Other causes include arthritis, structural problems, and disk injuries.

Pain often gets better with rest, movement, and medication. You can reduce your risk of low back pain by keeping at a healthy weight and staying active. Studies have found that four out of five people experience lower back pain at some point in their lives — so you are not alone.

The good news is that most lower back pain is manageable. With the right combination of passive relief and active rehabilitation, you can get back to a pain-free life.

Here are a few things you can do to manage that pain and be on track to a pain-free life again. There are two ways to manage lower back pain: passive and/or active modality.

Passive Approach to Relieve Lower Back Pain

Passive approaches bring relief without requiring you to move. They aim to reduce pain, inflammation, and tension so your body can begin healing. These methods are best used early in the pain cycle, when movement is difficult.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy reduces swelling and inflammation in the injured muscles. The temperature of the water allows the blood to circulate better throughout the body.

The weight of the body is supported by the buoyancy of the water. This allows the joints and muscles to truly relax, as the pressure on them is reduced by a significant amount. For many people with lower back pain, water is one of the most comfortable places to begin moving again.

Massage

A simple massage is the easiest way to get pain relief. However, this should be conducted by a professional. Deep tissue massage is often used to reduce the compression in the tissues which caused the restricting of blood flow.

With massage, the goal of improving blood circulation is the priority. At RAW, you are able to book a sports massage session that aims to relieve your lower back discomfort.

Shift Centre-of-Mass Backwards

Most of the time, lower back pain can cause compression in the lower back region. This could be due to the centre-of-mass being shifted forward from the base of support. Certain exercises can help the body shift backwards.

These exercises include breathing and strength exercises. An example of a strength exercise would be a goblet squat — holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of you as you squat.

With the weight in front of them, the body must naturally shift its centre-of-mass backwards to maintain balance and equilibrium as they perform the exercise. Consistently performing this exercise could potentially help relieve that lower back pain.

Active Approach: Stay Active for Faster Recovery

It is no surprise that individuals would prefer staying at home, lying on their beds the whole day when in pain. However, that is an equation to slowed recovery. To experience fast lower back pain relief, an individual should focus on staying active and moving more throughout the day.

This can include going for a light jog, using the elliptical machine, or even just walking every morning before starting the day. The main goal of staying active is to improve blood circulation throughout the body.

When an individual is injured, the blood flow is restricted due to certain compressions. This causes deprivation of important nutrients — such as protein, vitamin A, and zinc — that need to be transported to the injured area. Movement restores that flow and ultimately facilitates the recovery process.

Build a Pain-Free Lower Back

Using one or more of the methods listed above, you are one step closer to re-achieving a pain-free life. Start with passive relief when the pain is acute. Then, transition to active recovery as soon as you are able.

Consistency matters more than intensity. A daily ten-minute walk, a weekly massage, and a few careful strengthening exercises will outperform any one-off heroic effort. Listen to your body and progress gradually.

Feel free to book a session with us at RAW, where we provide one-to-one strength training sessions that assist you in getting rid of that lower back discomfort, using science-evidence-based techniques and approaches. Personal training at RAW allows you to meet your lifestyle needs and is flexible to fit into your busy schedule. Feel free to contact us for details.