Cold compresses
When: Should be used when you feel the first discomforts.
How it works: When the muscles of the back pain is because there inflamed tissue. Cold reduces swelling and discomfort. As soon feel the pain, apply ice packs several times a day for 10 minutes for the next three days. Remember that a bag of frozen peas is also used. You can use Ace Reusable Cold Compress.
Important to know: After three days, you can apply heat. If you use the onset of symptoms can worsen the inflammation. Then apply heat several times a day for 15 minutes.
OTC pain relievers
When: Use them when neither the cold nor the heat get results.
How it works: Both the analgesic anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil or Tylenol acetaminophen inhibit chemical drivers of pain.
Important to know: Take the first with food because they can cause nausea. Limited to eight extra-strength dose of acetaminophen a day because they have reported liver damage abuse.
Analgesic creams
When: As an alternative to pills.
How it works: When you apply these creams cause nerve endings feel heat or cold, which relieves pain. Find ingredients such as menthol, salicylate-aspirin compound, or capsaicin, a substance found in chili peppers. Try HP Capzasin.
Important to know: Some creams may cause skin irritation. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling from reaching your eyes.
Low Impact Exercise
When: Your back feels a bit stiff.
How It Works: Activities such as walking, biking and aquatics improve problems related to muscles in general. Exercise also stimulates endorphins, which help relieve pain.
Important to know: To avoid feeling stiff, implementing low-impact exercise for 30 minutes three times a week. You should also consider lifting weights. A 2010 study showed that people who lifted weights four times a week experienced a 42% reduction in back pain.
New mattress
When: You feel pain every morning.
How it works: After eight or nine years, a mattress can lose support and cause back pain.
Important to know: A very firm mattress is not necessarily better for the back. Research has shown that stress is the best medium. Beware of labels “orthopedic” or “approved by doctors,” there are no regulations in this class.
Physical therapy or chiropractic treatment
When: For when the pain persists even when you’ve tried other remedies. A professional can provide relief from alignments of the spine.
How it works: These treatments can improve the alignment column. Physical therapists are stretches that strengthen back muscles, while chiropractors manipulate the spine to relieve muscle tension. Consult your physician for a referral.
Important to know: You may not experience relief until six weeks. If you continue with pain is time for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can determine where it came from that pain or if it is something more serious, like a herniated disc.