If you’re suffering from chronic back pain, remedies like heat, rest or over-the-counter drugs probably aren’t providing you with anything much more than temporary relief. If those back pain remedies aren’t cutting it for you and your back pain is persisting, here are 3 things you can try that have proven effective for other chronic back pain sufferers.
1. Feldenkrais Method
Thought not widely known, the Feldenkrais method can be a highly effective option for chronic back pain sufferers. This techniques brings one component that is missing from most back pain remedies into the mix – the brain. Often back pain can be caused by the body developing bad movement habits caused by stress and other factors. In fact, the root of the problem may not lay in the back at all, but in the pelvis or another part of the body.
What the Feldenkrais method does is help the brain and body relearn proper movement patterns and how to effectively move and align itself properly through a series of simple, low impact movements. With recent neuroscience research seeming to corroborate the reasoning that went into the development of the Feldenkrais method, it is definitley a low back pain treatment worth checking into.
2 . Massage Therapy
One of the most common treatments people turn to for back pain relief, massage therapy is also arguably the most enjoyable of back pain treatments available. It helps provide relief in three main ways. One, it relaxes the back muscles which will help loosen up your back and improve your range of motion. Two, it triggers an increase in blood circulation to the affected area which helps promote healing. This also helps by relaxing and loosening up the back muscles. And three, massge increases endorphin levels, which many believe to be the best thing about massage therapy. The endorphins that are produced by your body during a good massage just make you feel good and have proven effective in alleviating pain.
A 2003 study found that massage therapy reduced the need for painkillers and was also more effective in treating low back pain when compared to other therapies. It is definitely one worth checking out if you haven’t done so already!
3. Acupuncture
Using acupuncture as a treatment for pain dates back to the Stone Age. With such a long track record, you’d think we’d know a lot about it and how it works. However, that’s definitely not the case and it still remains largely outside the realm of “traditional” Western medicine.
That said, many still turn to acupuncture to help relieve their back pain and some studies indicate it is an effective treatment. Acupuncture works by relaxing the body. It does this by triggering the release of pain-relieving opiods in the body. These opiods, produced naturally by the brain can send pain relief signals to the brain which will help bring back pain relief.
As a time-tested treatment method that appears to have few side effects (just be sure the needles are clean!), acupuncture is another back pain remedy worthy of consideration to ease chonic back pain.
So there you have it – 3 back pain remedies that have helped many chronic back pain sufferers. Hopefully one or more of these options will work for you. And, as always, please consult with your health care provider before starting any new exercise/treatment program.
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