Dr. David Jenkins
It has been estimated by experts that as much as 80% of the population will experience some form of low back pain at some point in their lives. Knowing this, it is important for just about everyone to begin learning about things that can be done to minimize these pains gently and naturally.
Don’t let back pain keep you from living your best life! Begin engaging in these six simple, all-natural remedies, and you will start to notice the benefits of reduced pain almost immediately.
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#1 Deep Breathing
If you are looking to relax the muscles of the lower back, deep breathing is a surprisingly effective, and often overlooked method. Simply find your most comfortable position to lay in and begin to breathe, slowly and deeply. Try pretending to breathe in and around your lower back area. Slowly and gently feel your ribs go in and out. Feel your stomach go up and down. These subtle, gentle motions aid the muscles around your spine to relax.
#2 Reduce Stress
Reducing stress isn’t just good for your emotional well-being, it can have tangible impacts on how you feel physically, as well. During periods of stress, it is not uncommon for for your muscles to tense up as part of your fight or flight response, and the tensing of muscles in your back can cause discomfort. A study performed in Europe has led to the understanding that people who are more likely to have stress and negative thoughts are more likely to suffer from pains in the lower back.
#3 Hot Baths
Believe it or not, the positive effects of a hot bath on alleviating muscle pains and aches cannot be overlooked. The heat from the water causes muscles in the back to relax and stretch out, which lessens pains from muscle tightness. Maximize this effect by adding epsom salts into the bath, and enjoy a leisurely soak. The epsom salts can not only help with the muscle tightness but also can help reduce inflammation.
#4 Yoga
The benefits of regular yoga activity are vast, and it can provide physical, emotional, and spiritual improvements simultaneously. With regard to low back pain, it has now been shown in a study found in the British Annals of Internal Medicine that individuals suffering from low back pain who participated in one yoga class per week for three months saw improved function when compared with those receiving other forms of care.
#5 Talk Therapy
Did you know that simply speaking about your back pain with a therapist may actually help reduce your pain? A groundbreaking British study proclaims that of people afflicted with back pain, those who received 90 minutes of group cognitive behavioral therapy per week for 6 weeks reported less pain than those who did not do talk therapy. One year removed, an incredible 59% said their pain was cured, compared to only 31% of the people who did not go through the cognitive behavioral therapy.
#6 Stretch Your Hamstrings
Sometimes we don’t always recognize the ways in which parts of our bodies are connected. One such example is the connection between our lower back muscles and our hamstring muscles in the backs of our thighs. If your hamstring muscles and your back are tight, this will lead to additional stress on the sacroiliac joints, which can cause additional pain. Gentle hamstring exercises should be performed twice daily to avoid tightness.
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