6 Solutions For Back Pain
First things first: What is back pain? The leading cause of disability worldwide, back pain is an ache anywhere in the back, which may radiate down the leg, worsening with bending, twisting, lifting, standing, or walking.
The severity of the pain can range from a muscle ache to shooting pain, burning, numbness, or a stabbing sensation. The medical causes of back pain include back muscle or ligament strain, slipped or herniated disc, sciatica, spinal stenosis, or spondylosis.
What are the common risk factors for back pain?
Age. A common misconception is that only older people are affected by back pain. While it’s true that seniors have the highest risk for a back injury, younger and middle-aged adults are affected, too. Over time, your back will begin to show signs that it cannot handle specific stressors or activities like it used to when you were younger. You will feel little aches as part of the body’s natural wear and tear.
Pregnancy. It is common to experience back pain during pregnancy, especially in the early stages. In expectant mothers, the ligaments naturally become softer and pliant as the body prepares for labour. Most pregnant women feel a lot of tension in the joints of the lower back and pelvis, as their stomach expands and becomes heavier, which accounts for the back pain they experience.
Inactivity & Weight Gain. The bouts of prolonged inactivity of a sedentary lifestyle can also cause back pain. When you don’t move much for long periods of time, the back and core muscles become stiff, weak, and deconditioned. Moreover, sitting for long hours increases the likelihood of weight gain. The extra weight, especially in the midsection, over-stretches the pelvis and causes strain on the lower back.
Unhealthy Habits. Most people don’t realise their daily routines can breed bad habits that increase the risk of back injury. For example, out of habit we hunch over our laptops or slouch when watching TV. When you have bad posture, the curvature and shape of the spine is altered. Typical activities such as walking, standing, sitting, or lying down can take a toll on your back if done incorrectly.
What are the solutions for back pain?
1. Correct your posture and movements.
Always pay attention to how you hold your back when you sit, stand, walk, lift, reach, or lie down. Make sure your body maintains a relatively straight line from your head down to your shoulders and back, as well as your hips, knees, and feet.
When doing desk work, your screen should be 2 to 3 inches above your eye level to avoid straining your neck and back. Your chair’s backrest should be angled at around 110 degrees. It should also cradle the small of your back comfortably. If your job requires you to stand for long hours, try to maintain a straight-backed posture — keep your head up and pull your stomach in, core engaged.
When lifting objects or heavy weights, use your legs and core. The right way is to bend your hips and knees to a squat, take hold of the thing you are trying to lift and draw it close to your body. Then, tighten your stomach, straighten your legs and lift.
2. Check your mattress, pillow and sleeping habits.
When you wake up after a long night’s sleep, do you feel refreshed or tired and sore? You know you’ve had good-quality sleep when you’ve slept entirely through the night. Or if you did wake up, you fell back to sleep in 20 minutes or less. A night of good sleep means waking up in the morning rested, restored, and energised.
Sleeping with proper posture not only gets you a good night’s sleep but takes the strain off your back. The best sleep posture is one that supports the normal curvature and alignment of the spine. Learn more about Sleeping Postures To Prevent Recurring Neck & Back Pain.
Additionally, don’t forget that mattresses and pillows tend to sag after a while. With repeated use, mattresses and pillows lose their firmness and original form, which reinforce poor sleeping posture, muscle strains, and spine injury. Learn more Essential Tips to Sleep Better At Night.
There is no single mattress and pillow type that works for all people. That’s why we at Kissun Chiropractic offer complimentary mattress and pillow assessments to our patients. Let our expert chiropractors help you regain the uninterrupted sleep that your body needs to wake up feeling refreshed, energised, and pain-free.
3. Apply ice packs or heat pads.
Both heat and cold can be effective for various pain and injuries. Stimulating the nerves with either can diminish discomfort and ease pain. But how do we know what to apply when our backs act up, cold or hot compress?
We apply ice when inflammation and swelling are most prominent — for instance, strained back muscles from lifting heavy objects or sprain and soreness from exercise. On the other hand, heat expands the blood vessels and improves blood flow, circulation — thereby relaxing stiff muscles.
If the back pain persists despite the hot and cold therapy, it’s best to consult a healthcare professional such as a chiropractor. Read more: Is Cold Or Hot Treatment Better For Injuries?
4. Exercise and move more every day.
A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of recurring back pain. During movement, the body drives blood flow to the affected area, decreasing strain and inflammation. So if you spend most days sitting for long hours, try squeezing in bits of exercise into your routine. It doesn’t have to be a workout, standing, stretching, or walking around for 5 minutes every hour will do.
There are exercises to strengthen the back, abdominal, and leg muscles — all of which support the spine. Walking, swimming, pilates, yoga, and tai chi can also strengthen the core muscles, alleviate back pain, and help shed the extra pounds, too.
A word to the wise: Always seek professional help before doing any exercises that are meant to manage back pain. At Kissun Chiropractic, we can help you find the routine and management most suitable for your body.
5. Go for a massage.
Massage therapy can provide temporary pain relief for some back problems.
Among the more popular short-term remedies for back pain are acupressure or shiatsu. This type of massage involves using the fingers to apply pressure on specific body points, with deep and rhythmic pulsing motions.
Likewise popular among spa-goers is the Swedish massage. For this type of therapy, the entire hand is used to apply pressure on the body, with long circular motions.
6. Discover chiropractic care.
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the conservative management of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system (joints, muscles and nerves). Find out more FAQs on.
Some conditions for chiropractors include back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, scoliosis, spine health, and more.
Treatments involve careful spinal manipulation, called an adjustment, and other manual therapies to correct any joint restrictions, thus restoring the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Treatments also include ergonomic and postural assessments, nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counselling, cold or heat therapy, and therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises.
If you prefer a hands-on approach to your healthcare that promotes natural healing without medications or surgery, Chiropractic treatments offer a non-invasive and non-surgical solution.
Why Kissun Chiropractic in Singapore?
At Kissun, our chiropractors are certified, insured, and registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This means they are accountable to a higher, more vigorous standard than other chiropractors in Singapore who may not be registered with their home countries.
Registration with AHPRA also requires continued professional development, which entails ongoing education by government certified bodies.
While it’s common in Singapore to have open treatment rooms, Kissun Chiropractic offers exclusive closed private rooms for your comfort and privacy.
Our good patient reviews paved the way for being awarded the Bronze Award for Best Chiropractor category in the Expat Living Readers’ Choice Awards for 2021 and 2022.
If you are considering chiropractic to help manage your back pain, we’d be glad to help you learn more!
Kissun Chiropractic is a trusted and leading Chiropractic clinic in Singapore offering affordable and effective treatments for all ages in the community. We are experienced in treating routine and complex neuromusculoskeletal conditions such as headaches, neck, shoulder and backaches, osteoarthritis, scoliosis, sciatica, pregnancy aches and pains, sports injuries, performing ergonomic assessments and postural checks. Patients’ conditions are managed through natural, safe, non-invasive, drug and surgery free treatments, relying on the bodies’ inherent recuperative functions. Treatment plans are customised to patients’ specific needs and preferences.