Back pain, specifically in the lower back, is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor, apart from cold or flu infections. However, lower back pain can be caused by a number of different issues, many of which may even overlap. It’s often difficult to treat and prescription medication can leave a lot to be desired. Here’s how you can reduce lower back pain drug-free.
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Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
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Many types of back pain are caused by one simple thing: inflammation. While it’s a natural response that can aid in healing, it can also cause a great deal of discomfort. Eating anti-inflammatory foods can help neutralize your body’s inflammatory response, so you can start to feel better. Here are some top choices:
- Fatty fish, like salmon or mackerel
- Avocados
- Broccoli
- All types of berries, including strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries
- All types of peppers, including chili peppers and sweet bell peppers
- Plain green tea, without sugar
- Red, green, and black grapes
- All types of mushrooms, such as oyster mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, and basic white mushrooms
- Turmeric root
- Tomatoes
- Dark chocolate
- Cherries
While feeding yourself nutritious foods that fight inflammation, you should also consider removing inflammation-causing foods, such as:
- Fried foods, like french fries, chips, donuts, etc.
- Simple carbs, such as pasta, white rice, biscuits, flour tortillas, and white bread
- Trans fats, like margarine and shortening
- Processed lunch or deli meats, including hot dogs, salami, beef jerky, and canned meat
- Sugary beverages, like soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks
Get Enough Exercise
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Often, lower back pain is caused by stiffness and lack of mobility. If your job requires you to sit or stand in one place most of the time, your vertebrae and the surrounding tendons and muscles aren’t getting stretched. Cervical fluid that lubricates the spaces between your bones and cartilage dries up and if you’re not in pain, you’re likely to at least have some difficulty with movement, such as twisting or bending over.
Visit the Chiropractor
Chiropractic care is one of the most often overlooked drug-free solutions to lower back pain and other types of musculoskeletal discomfort. A chiropractor can use a variety of painless techniques that help create space in your lower back for cervical fluid to flow more freely and to realign out-of-place vertebrae to help your body naturally heal overworked muscles and tendons.
Use Over-the-Counter Medications
Over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol, Advil, and Aleve can be used as directed to obtain relief from stubborn lower back pain that doesn’t respond well to the above methods. These medications do not carry the same risks of overdose or dependency that many narcotic or prescription painkillers do.
Book Your Lower Back Pain Evaluation at Huntington Orthopedics Today
At Huntington Orthopedics, we understand how limiting lower back pain can be, and our team is committed to helping you find solutions that work for you. We have a wide variety of non-invasive therapeutic modalities available at our office and will help create a customized treatment plan designed to target your most pressing issues.
Contact us today to book your initial back pain evaluation at our office by calling (626) 486-9494.