The major reason for job disability in the world is back pain. One individual out of every 10 suffers from lower back pain. The statistics are higher in the US. 8 out of every 10 people suffer from back pain. Since they end up having pain killers regularly, this leads to addiction as well.
Usually, opiates are being prescribed for back pain problems. Due to addiction, more people die of cocaine and heroin drug overdose. This is a scary situation in the US.
Scientific study has shown that if you have depression or anxiety related problems, then you are at a greater risk of falling prey to addiction of opiates.
Drug abuse:
A report has been published by Medical News Today. About 55 patients who were suffering from depression or anxiety were recruited for the study. The patients were given oxycodone, morphine or a placebo for duration of six months.
The results revealed that those people who suffered from depression or anxiety were less likely to get cured by the medications. In fact, they were more prone to get addicted to the drugs.
As compared to normal patients, they found that there was less than 50% improvement in their back pain. They were also 75% more likely to fall prey to addiction problems.
This study shows how important it is to first see if a patient is suffering from depression or anxiety. Once this is confirmed, only then should pain killers or opioids should be prescribed to them. The risks of not doing this are very high. Moreover, those patients will not be benefitted.
Common causes of back pain:
Lower back pain can be caused due to many reasons. It is important to identify the cause before giving the treatment. For about two-thirds of the population, it is due to an accident. The accident could be lifting a heavy object. The pain can start on the same day as the accident.
Back pain can also appear as a symptom for other conditions. It can start a few days before the real symptom is diagnosed. It could be alcohol consumption, sex, fatigue or loss of concentration.
The other causes of back pain are – stress, obesity, inactivity and bad posture. Accidents and sports injuries can also trigger back pain.
How to treat back pain:
About 75-80% of back pains can be cured on their own within 2-4 weeks.
It can happen in less than this time as well. The first step is to relax your mind when you experience pain. Apply an ice bag over the affected area. Visit a chiropractitioner or get an acupuncture done. Simple solutions can provide immediate relief.
You can also consume natural remedies like curcumin, ginger and boswellia. These ingredients have anti-inflammatory activities. They can be taken instead of having analgesics.
Controlling your emotions also plays a very important role in relieving pain. Depression and anxiety inhibit self recovery from pain. Suppression of emotions also makes you more vulnerable to pain. Rather than give relief, they make you less resistant to injuries. Therefore, one must not suppress emotions for a long period of time.
The state of your mind and your current emotions pay a very important role in how you handle pain. Any pain which last for more than a few minutes is memorized by your central nervous system. This happens at the neuronal level.
Since it has been memorized, it can be brought back easily. A gentle touch in the area of pain or any uncommon movement can trigger it. There is a technique by which the behavior of the brain can be changed. It is called Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT. Such techniques can be very useful in treating pain.
The sciatic pain problem
This pain is usually unbearable. It happens because a particular nerve, called the sciatic nerve gets cramped. The sciatic pain normally spreads from the lower back to your thighs.
You can do stretching exercises to reduce the pain. The gluts muscles get activated. The muscles get tight and cause tingling, pain and numbness.
The following exercises will help those with sciatic pain:
– Seated hip stretch
– Piriformis stretch
– Self trigger at points
– Pigeon pose
Other things you can do to treat sciatica:
Acupuncture: acupuncture has cured 17 out of 30 people from sciatic pain, according to a study. You need a few sessions at least to heal completely.
Chiropractice: getting chiropractic healing has helped more than 60% of the people. You need to go for at least four week, 3-4 times per week to get healed.
Yoga: Iyengar yoga is good for sciatic pain. About 4 months of yoga is needed to reduce pain. About 64 % of the people have been cured. About 77% have seen their disability reduce. How it affects the pain is not know, however it is beneficial.
Pilates: while doing physiotherapy, also add pirates to your routine. Just one hour a day twice a week is enough. Continue for 6 weeks. People can reduce pain, improve balance and prevent falling with Pilate’s therapy.
Massage: massaging certain points in the body can also relieve pain. The trigger points care piriformis, glutes and lower back muscles. It releases the pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Creams: topical application of creams can also help. St.john’s wort oil and cayenne pepper cream can be applied to the area twice or thrice a day.
Avoid sitting for a long time:
While sitting, take care to sit in a proper posture. Avoid sitting for more than one hour continuously. Those in pain should stand and walk more. Initially, it will pain more, but movement will reduce pain slowly.
For those doing a desk-job should have grounding pads below them. The main reason is keeping your body still for too long.
Other ways to avoid pain:
Prevention is always better than cure. Do the following regularly to prevent pain.
Exercise: do some high intensity routine. Twice a week would be enough. This strengthens the spine muscles. Do exercises that promote balance and flexibility in your body. Challenge yourself regularly.
Yoga is good for flexibility. It has been proven to cure back pain.
Posture: be conscious of your posture when you sit. When you stand, put equal pressure on both feet. Be careful while lifting heavy loads. Strengthen your core.
Foundation training: use this form of exercise to prevent postures that cause pan. Stabilize the spine, discs and pelvis with this routine. It will strengthen your core.
Vitamin D and K2: increase the levels of these vitamins in your body.
Grounding: ground yourself to the earth. This will supply your body with electron through your bare skin. It improves the functioning of the immune system. Barefoot walking helps in many ways. The arches of your feet are strengthened. The electrons you take in from the earth are antioxidant and anti inflammatory in nature.
Keep emotions in check: many times pain has a psychological origin. Mind-body techniques are known to treat people with pain.
Laser: laser treatment reduces pain and inflammation. The muscles, ligaments and bones are all healed. It improves oxygenation as the amount of RBCs increase. It targets specific areas of your body and penetrates deep into them. So the spine and hip are also treated.
Hydration: your body is mostly water. So drink a lot of it to maintain the levels. This will reduce stiffness.
Smoking: avoid it as much as you can. It leads to degeneration of the spinal discs.
Sleep patterns: sleep times and posture affect your back and neck. Stretch your back before waking up. Don’t curve your spine too much. Sleep on a hard bed.
Source: Just Natural Life