Living with chronic back pain can be a delicate balancing act. It can be challenging to manage on a day-to-day basis. Some days the flare-ups may feel like more than they actually are, while others may just be minor issues that are easy to manage; however, it is important to have a solid chronic pain management plan for the bad days. A spike in flare-ups often leads to longer pain episodes, and how you choose to deal with it in that moment may play a big role in how you manage it.
Having an action plan that is calm and purposeful may help to lessen the impact of the flare-up while putting you back in control.
Understanding Your Flare-Up Causes: The First Line of Defence
Spikes in flare-ups generally do not occur without any specific reason, but many times it is due to accumulated physiological or structural stressors.
Daily Triggers
Many episodes are caused by simple things such as:
● Too Many Hours of Sitting in a Static Posture: Sitting for long hours at a desk reduces the flow of blood to spinal structures.
● Becoming Too Physically Active: Lifting heavy things the wrong way or twisting your back in awkward ways can cause a muscle spasm to occur.
● High Levels of Emotional Stress: This produces the body’s inflammatory hormone “Cortisol,” and can cause muscle tension and increased inflammation in your system.
Keeping track of your activities throughout the day and the level of discomfort, while also maintaining a journal of these flare-ups, may help in the long run to identify the daily triggers and allow you to better deal with them, as opposed to reacting once it has already started.
Managing At Home for Quick Flare-Up Relief
When a flare-up starts, it is important to remember that the body enters a state of overstimulation or nervous system overload. The goal of home care is to quiet the system and soothe the body.
Make the Most of Temperature Treatments
Cold and heat are useful therapies for relieving acute flare-ups.
● Ice should be applied to the lower back in 15- to 20-minute intervals for the first 48 hours of a significant flare-up to help alleviate the local, intense pain of affected nerves and to reduce local inflammation.
● Heat is excellent for relieving chronic, aching pain and for relaxing stiff muscles. Warm heat, such as that found in a warm bath or under a heating pad, will relax your tissues and increase circulation to aid healing.
Get Moving With care
When you begin to have discomfort, it is tempting to lie still and try to rest until the inflammation goes away; however, bed rest prolongs the problem. Low-impact movement, such as slow, restorative walking on even ground or gentle pelvic tilts done on a stable surface, should be practiced to help nourish and maintain your joints. If any type of exercise triggers symptoms in your extremities, stop immediately.
Seek Clinical Support When Self-care Fails
Self-care is important for the relief of daily symptoms, but there are times when you will need the support of your healthcare provider to break the cycle of back pain and treat the root cause of nerve irritations.
Targeted Medical Treatments
When basic strategies such as heat, ice, and gentle exercise cannot help you, it is time to ask your healthcare provider about specialized medical interventions. A steroid injection to the back can reduce nerve irritations associated with structural pain. A steroid injection for back pain will provide localized relief, which can help to reduce inflammation and may facilitate your participation in restorative treatments.
Conclusion: Partnering with Integrative Experts
With a comprehensive healthcare team, when you have back problems, you need more than a superficial approach to your condition; you must seek to understand and address the true source of your pain and discomfort. At Restore Wellness Center, our team of clinical experts will offer you a fully integrative approach, helping you improve your circulation, decrease the impact of your nerve pain, and return you to the quality of life that you deserve.
Don’t wait for minor issues to become more severe and debilitating. If you are ready to begin to recover and to improve your pain levels, contact us today and schedule your comprehensive consultation at Restore Wellness Center in Scottsdale, AZ.
