How To Heal Lower Back Pain: 11 Super Powerful Tips

Looking for quick relief from lower back pain? You’re not alone. Roughly 23% of adults suffer from chronic back pain and are also seeking treatment.

The most effective ways to get rid of lower back pain are stretches or exercises, massages, cold and hot therapies, and improving your posture. These work depending on the causes of your back ache. Some common culprits are muscle strains and sprains, joint issues like arthritis, and disk problems.

But how do you know if the back pain is more serious? Read on to find out 11 surprisingly easy tips for back pain relief and when you might need to see a doctor.

What are 3 Causes of Lower Back Pain?

If your lower back has been hurting, chances are the following three issues are behind the pain:

• Strains and sprains: An accident or lifting heavy items can cause strained muscles and sprained ligaments. If you feel sudden cramping when you move, then this might be the sneaky reason for your back ache.
• Disk problems: Disks are like soft cushions for the bones in your spine. Issues like lumbar disk disease happen when the lower disks in your spine bulge or rupture. If this is the case, you may want to check for other symptoms before you visit your doctor.
• Irritated joints: The role of joints in your body is to connect bones. The sacroiliac joint, for instance, connects your spine and pelvis. If this joint undergoes inflammation, you may begin to feel low back pain. This is true in cases like arthritis, which becomes more likely as we age. 

Other likely causes of lower back pain include:

• Traumatic experiences: One study reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH) mentions how stressful events can worsen low back pain. You may want to check for any work stress, interpersonal conflicts, or other emotionally difficult experiences that happened around the same time your back ache began.
• Diseases: On rare occasions, low back pain could indicate diseases like cancer. This is true for diseases like spinal, ovarian, or colorectal cancers. Here are some symptoms to check for if you suspect that cancer might be causing your back pain. However, you may want to see a doctor before you are tempted to self-diagnose 

How Can I Heal Lower Back Pain Fast?

Getting rid of lower back pain depends on the causes and severity of the back ache. The tips we share below will help you not only ease the pain, but also avoid it. Remember, a combination of these tips will help you have a speedier recovery, so you may want to try multiple of these hacks:

1. Better Posture: The best posture to relieve yourself of back pain is an upright posture, with your shoulders straight. You may want to have a bolster pillow with you if you tend to sit most of the time. Bolster pillows like our Cuddling, for instance, provide excellent lumbar support.

2. Exercise: The benefits of exercising for back pain relief are many. Endorphins released during exercise are natural pain killers. Plus, doing the right exercises for back pain relief can strengthen the muscles that support your spine.

3. Stretches: Yoga poses and stretches that engage the whole body are excellent in relieving lower back pain. Here are 8 stretches that can help get rid of the nasty back aches

4. Massage: In one study reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), it was reported that massages could help in lower back pain relief. There are several types of massages that you can try to reduce lower back pain, including self massaging.

How do you get rid of sudden lower back pain fast?

5. Hot and Cold Therapy: Heat has been shown to reduce back aches. You may want to have heat packs or to take a long shower (15 to 20 minutes) for the effect to occur. Cold packs can be useful if the lower back pain is caused by inflammation. Rubbing something cold like an ice pack for 3 to 5 minutes should help relieve the pain.

6. Store Medication: Drugs like Tylenol and Ibuprofen can be effective in easing the lower back pain temporarily. Similarly, creams such as muscle relaxants can help if the cause of your back ache is muscle strains. This is a quick and easy way to give your body immediate relief from the lower back pain

7. Injections and Nerve Stimulations: For intense pain, consider visiting a hospital or outpatient clinic to get an epidural steroid injection (ESI). Within 15 to 20 minutes, you should feel better and be allowed to go back home to rest. If the pain tends to return, consult your doctor on whether you might need an electrotherapy device. These are wearable little machines that induce nerve stimulation on your back

8. Get some sleep: It sounds like a simple remedy, but inadequate rest can affect our pain tolerance. One study from the National Institute of Health (NIH) shows how sleep deprivation can lead to increased pain sensitivity. The more well-rested you are, the more bearable the lower back pain will be, as you seek other remedies.

What Makes Lower Back Pain Worse?

Here are some common pitfalls to beware as you seek ways to heal lower back pain:

9. Avoid long bed rests: Not moving at all can delay your healing and prolonged bed rest can promote losing your muscle conditioning and toning. However, if you need to sleep, you may want to have one of these best pillows for lower back pain.

10. Suspend uncomfortable shoes: Footwear such as heels can worsen the stress on your spine, which can lead to more lower back pain over time. This is true for shoes that are ill-fitting or with poorly-constructed soles.

11. Hold off ultra-processed foods: Sugary snacks, vegetable oils, and dairy products can trigger inflammation and worsen back aches. Here is a detailed list of these kinds of food and why you may want to avoid them when dealing with low back pain

When is Back Surgery Needed for Lower Back Pain?

Typically, surgery will be recommended by your doctor after nonsurgical remedies have failed to work

Your doctor may order one or multiple of the following tests to assess the potential culprits behind your back pain:

• Blood and urine tests
• Back X-rays
• Spinal MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Computed Tomography (CT) scan
• Bone scan. Most likely for those with a history of cancer 

How do I Sleep with Lower Back Pain?

If you’re a back or stomach sleeper, then you may want to switch up your snuggle style a bit. Experts recommend that you sleep on your side when healing from lower back pain. It helps to bend your knees as you sleep to reduce pressure on your lumbar spine.

If you really want to sleep on your back, you will want to consider how to best support your spine and back joints. Having a body pillow to place under your knees will help maintain the natural curve of your spine. Our Cuddler can further give you warm snuggles as you give your spine a well-needed rest. Because of its length, it is a great companion to remind you not to misalign your spine as you sleep

How Long Should Lower Back Pain Take to Heal?

Within 6 to 12 weeks. However, the healing duration of your back ache will depend on its causes and severity. So, what are the kinds of back pain? Acute, subacute, and chronic

Acute back pain usually comes suddenly and goes away within a few days or weeks. Subacute pain typically grows over time and goes away within 12 weeks. Chronic pain occurs daily and lasts for over 12 weeks. The worse the back ache, the longer it will take to heal.

It is important to remember that some back pain is caused by incorrect sleeping posture. If you typically wake up with a painful back, you may want to assess how your back aligns when you nap. Giving your back proper support as you rest can quickly give you relief from an achy lower back.

When to See a Doctor

Wondering, “When Should I benap[ worried about lower back pain”?

Well, if the back ache was caused by a fall or some accident, you may want to seek immediate medical attention. Moreover, if the lower back pain lasts for more than 2 to 3 weeks, consider seeing a doctor for an assessment.

Other signs to look for are:

• If the pain is accompanied by numbness, tingling, or paralysis in the legs.
• Difficulty with urination and bowel movements.
• Fever, chills, or any other flu-like symptoms.
• Unexplained weight loss (or weight gain) or physical weakness that doesn’t go away. 

Conclusion

The main causes of back pain are muscle strains and sprains, disk problems and irritated joints. To get relief for your lower back pain, try stretching, massages, improving your posture, and ice and cold therapy.

If the pain lasts for more than 2 to 3 weeks, consider visiting a doctor because that might indicate a deeper problem. Further, if the lower back pain is caused by an accident or a fall, you may want to seek immediate medical attention. Your doctor may conduct blood tests, x-rays or MRIs to assess the best path to your healing.