How To Treat Back Pain At Home

Throwing your back out is a painful scenario that is actually quite common. It is typical for someone with an acute episode of back pain to tell me:

"I bent down to..., but I could not stand back up."

"I stood up after bending down, but immediately I knew something was wrong with my back." 

"I twisted my back and quickly felt severe back pain."

"My back has been hurting since I was moving a lot of stuff around recently."

What To Do For Acute Back Pain:

Step 1. Decide if it is serious enough to see a doctor immediately.

Reasons To See a Doctor Immediately For A New Back Injury:

1. You can barely walk.

2. Your pain is so severe that no over-the-counter medicine is helping.

3. You experienced major trauma to your back.

4. The injury caused you to lose sensation in your pelvis or legs.

5. The injury has changed your ability to control your bowel/bladder function.
6. You have noticeable weakness in one or both legs as a result of your injury.

Home Treatments For A New Back Injury:

1. Ice. Ice down your back or the painful area for 10-20 minutes at a time, throughout the day.

2. Over-the-counter Pain Medicine, preferably an anti-inflammatory (Advil, Aleve, Ibuprofen).

3. Rest. Find the most comfortable positions and avoid aggravating movements.

4. Time. If it is not a major injury, it should progressively improve over the next few weeks.

Should You Immediately See a Chiropractor For a New Back Injury?
Seeing a chiropractor may be a good option if you have one that you know and trust. Ideally, go to one that has successfully treated you in the past. They can rule out red flags and tell you if/when to see a physician. If your pain is not improving with chiropractic treatment, do not continue for more than 3-4 weeks.

Should You See a Physical Therapist For a New Back Injury?
Yes! However, most Physical Therapists require a doctor's prescription before beginning treatment, so be sure to ask your doctor for this. In my experience, most patients with a new back injury will significantly improve within 1-2 weeks of PT, and many patients will get immediate pain relief within the first visit. If your pain is not improving within a month of PT, follow up with your doctor for further testing or treatment options.

Best Book for Self-Treatment of Painful Joints

Do you have joint pain that you cannot afford much medical treatment for? Robin McKenzie, a world-famous Physical Therapist and bestselling author, wrote a series of books about self-treating pain in various joints. I would highly recommend any of these if you have pain but cannot afford much therapy or other treatments.

Treat Your Own Back
Treat Your Own Neck
Treat Your Own Knee
Treat Your Own Shoulder

There may be various editions of these. I would recommend looking at Amazon or other websites to find the best prices, but you should be able to purchase one for $10-$15.

For more of McKenzie's exclusively-designed products such as lumbar rolls and pillows, check out OPTP.com.

Of course, if you have serious joint pain that is not resolving, please see your physician and request a prescription for Physical Therapy.

Daily tasks that cause LOW BACK PAIN

These are some specific types of injuries that cause low back pain.

1. Falls. Falling can cause numerous injuries, from broken bones to torn muscles/tendons to internal bleeding and worse. So do whatever it takes to prevent falling.
2. Lifts. Lifting wrong is a major cause of low back pain. The heavier the object you are lifting, the higher the risk for injury. So be sure to lift the right way, whether you are lifting a 5-lb. or a 50-lb. object.
3. Housework. Doing housework can easily cause low back pain if you do it incorrectly. So be sure to check your body mechanics with every part of your housework.
4. Yardwork. Similar to housework, yardwork also needs to be performed with caution and with intentionally good technique. This is especially true when working with heavier equipment or with strenuous outdoor tasks.
5. Exercise. Exercise is so important for improved health, and I recommend it to all my patients. However, I have also treated many patients who injured their backs from exercising. So be sure to learn the proper exercise techniques. Then check your technique every time you do the exercise.
6. Sports. Some sports injuries are pure, unavoidable accidents. But many are preventable, with proper warm-ups, stretching, staying warm (ex: baseball), shoewear (ex: running), slowly working up to higher levels, and/or sports-specific strengthening.

Over the next few days I will talk more about these areas in greater detail. Stay tuned! You do not have to live with low back pain if you take the necessary steps to prevent it!