Chronic Pain

6 Natural Remedies For Back Pain

Chronic back pain affects millions of Americans who struggle to find ways to ease their pain so as to live lives that are more fulfilling and productive.

Some treat their pain with standard medical therapy while others go for options that are more natural as standard medical therapy often fails or involves the use of addictive medications. There are in fact natural options that can help.

Some natural remedies for back pain, whether it be acute or chronic, include the following:

  • The application of ice. Ice packs purchased at a local pharmacy work well to decrease the back pain, especially during flare-ups. If ice packs are unavailable, the individual can use ice from the freezer or even a bag of frozen vegetables, applied to the area most affected by the pain. It is a good idea to put a cloth or towel between the ice source and the skin in order to avoid burning the skin from the ice. Ice should be applied for thirty minutes at a time and then a thirty minute of rest should be undertaken before applying the ice again. This can be done in the first 24 to 48 hours after an acute injury to relieve the inflammation associated with low back pain.
  • The application of heat. Heat is generally applied to relieve the muscle spasm associated with back pain. It is often helpful to apply heat about 48 hours after the acute injury and can be alternated with ice. Heating pads can be purchased at the local pharmacy. Alternatively, you can buy specialized jade heating pads on the Internet that make use of far infrared ray heat (FIR heat). This type of heat goes deep to the tissues to relieve the deepest muscle spasm. Try not to put the heat up so high that you burn the skin and apply heat for thirty minutes at a time in order to relieve the pain. Take the heat off after thirty minutes and then apply ice for thirty minutes before going back to the application of heat. This can be done indefinitely to relieve back pain.
  • Yoga is a special form of exercise that helps improve balance and relieve back pain. It involves doing several different kinds of poses called asanas, associated with focusing on the breath. The best type of yoga to do for back pain is Hatha yoga, which is a gentle type of yoga that induces relaxation, which relieves the perception of pain.
  • This is a centuries’ old form of East Asian medicine that involves inserting needles in specific areas of the body associated with pain. The needles are not necessarily placed where the pain is located but is placed in areas of the body where the energy forces of the body, called qi energy, is blocked. The needles unblock the qi energy and results in a resolution of the pain. This is an energy therapy that is particularly effective for chronic pain. Sometimes the needles are heated or twirled in order to strengthen the effect of the therapy.
  • This is similar to acupuncture but involves using the fingers and hands to apply pressure to the same areas used in acupuncture. The difference is that there are no needles involved. This form of energy therapy is particularly effective in unblocking qi energy so that pain can be relieved.
  • Meditation has been found to relieve pain in a natural way without the use of drugs. In meditation, you focus on relaxing the muscles and on your breath, using a mantra or syllable to induce a deeper sense of relaxation. Some people use guided imagery as part of their meditation, in which they imagine themselves in a beautiful and peaceful place and focus on the sounds, sights, and smells of that place in order to induce a state of relaxation. This relaxation relief is good for reducing the perception of pain.*Please note this information is not intended to diagnose or treat conditions, it is for informational purposes only.