Chronic back pain is something that affects thousands of people each year, with many of them unable to get much relief, if any, from the pain. If you’re one of these many sufferers, you’re probably sick of chronic back pain and will do almost anything to get rid of it.
Anyone that has chronic back pain can tell you it can come from any number of causes. You may have pulled something in your back by lifting something heavy. It can be a result of an accident or it can develop from changes to the spine that comes with age. It may be a sharp pain that comes on suddenly and doesn’t go away or it may come on slowly gradually getting worse. When it doesn’t go away for 3 or more months, it is called chronic back pain as opposed to acute back pain, which comes and goes. The one thing all sufferers have in common is that after awhile they all get sick of chronic back pain affecting their daily lives.
Most people that develop chronic back pain will tolerate it for so long taking over the counter medications, using heating pads or just resting. After a period of time goes by with no relief, they usually discover they’ve had enough and are sick of chronic back pain and see a doctor. Unfortunately, many don’t go see a doctor for back pain because they don’t think it’s serious and try to wait it out. Often, by time they get to the point where they’re sick of chronic back pain ruling their lives, they have more serious damage then what they would have had if they’d seen a doctor much sooner.
Another thing chronic back pain sufferers tend to do is talk with friends that have suffered from the same kind of pain and do what their friends say they did to treat the pain when they got sick of chronic back pain. In some cases this helps, but many times it does more harm then good because no two people are the same. Symptoms that may seem similar to two different individuals can actually turn out to be very different. Many people also give prescription medication to others that they may have leftover from when they were hurt. This is a very unwise thing to do. Medication is prescribed for one individual and one individual only and may cause harm to another person.
If you are one of the unfortunate individuals that are sick of chronic back pain and have tried everything else, seek help from your doctor. It may be something that can be easily fixed or the start of something serious. If it is serious, the sooner you begin treatment, the better your prognosis.
Some people like to get out of bed and start their day with a few stretches or exercises. This sounds great in theory, but your morning workout routine may put you at risk for injuring your back. Make sure your workout does not include any activities where you are flexing/bending your spine. What is one common exercise where people flex their spine? Sit-ups. The typical sit-up-performed with knees bent and lying on your back-places significant stress on your spine. You should avoid this typical sit-up. There are multiple alternatives to the typical sit-up mentioned that place less stress on your spine. Additionally, avoid any stretches or exercises that force you to bend your back, such as touching as your toes.