How To Relieve Your Chronic Back Pain Naturally

Is chronic back pain getting you down? Do you wish there was a way to relieve your pain symptoms and get back to your favorite activities?

Chronic pain of any kind can take time to get under control. But there are some steps you can take that may help to relieve your symptoms naturally.

Remove and reduce exacerbating factors

Chronic back pain doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. There are factors that can contribute to your pain, and others that can exacerbate your symptoms. The goal is to remove or reduce as many of these factors as possible.

For example, your back pain may become worse due to:

• Heavy lifting, particularly if done incorrectly
• Too much time spent in one position, such as seated at a desk
• Carrying a heavy bag
• Physical activities that include repetitive movements or high impact such as running, football or golf
• Poor posture
• A flare in other chronic conditions
• Shoes with poor support

What triggers your chronic back pain is specific to you. If you’re not sure what can set off your symptoms, start by keeping a diary and noting down what you do each day and when your pain flares up.

Move your body regularly

When you experience chronic back pain, it’s common to avoid all physical activity out of fear that you could further injure your back.

There is evidence that shows exercise can have positive effects for chronic back pain. The latest research suggests that Pilates, resistance training and aerobic exercise are the most effective options for chronic lower back pain.

Make sure you seek advice from your healthcare professional before starting a new form of exercise.

Manage your stress levels

Chronic pain of any kind will always involve the nervous system, even if your pain isn’t specifically nerve pain. This is because chronic pain can alter the nervous system and how it reacts to a stimulus.

So if you want to address your chronic pain, you need to make sure you give your nervous system some TLC. One simple way to do this is managing your stress levels effectively.

The most effective way to manage stress is individual to you. What one person finds relaxing might be someone else’s worse nightmare! But two options that have supporting research for chronic pain relief are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Eat a nutritious diet

What you eat may not be the first thing you think about when it comes to relieving chronic pain. But the food that you consume daily can either support your body or inflame it. This can have a dramatic impact on your pain levels.

Eating a nutrient-dense diet can help by:

• Crowding out foods that may have an inflammatory effect on the body, such as processed foods and refined sugars
• Supplying nutrients that have an anti-inflammatory effect such as omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants
• Increasing the level of nutrients that are needed to repair injured tissues and relax muscles such as zinc and magnesium
• Improving your gut health, which can further reduce inflammation in the body
• Offering general support for other systems in your body that are impacted by chronic pain such as the nervous system and immune system

A nutritious diet can include a variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrains, eggs, seafood and high-quality meats.

Seek personalised support

Managing your own chronic pain can be stressful and even overwhelming. That’s why it’s best to seek professional support from one or more healthcare practitioners.

A qualified practitioner can help you by offering treatments to relieve your pain and make suggestions about how to alleviate it in everyday life.

One option to consider for chronic back pain is acupuncture.

Recent research suggests that acupuncture may be effective for chronic low back pain compared to usual care. The study found that participants receiving acupuncture were more likely to experience significant improvements in dysfunction than those receiving usual care.

Studies have also suggested that acupuncture could have a number of anti-inflammatory actions within the body. As inflammation is often a factor in chronic pain, reducing it could help to relieve symptoms of pain.

If you want to get your back pain under control, the team at Burnett House can help.

Our acupuncturist Jamie combines acupuncture with other tools such as dry needling and remedial massage to relieve symptoms such as pain and stress naturally.

Our naturopath Trish can look at diet and lifestyle factors that can help to address any underlying inflammation that is contributing to your pain.

To book an appointment with Jamie or Trish at our Bundaberg clinic, call us on (07) 41522372