Getting To The Root Of Back Pain There’s no denying that back pain can be agonizing, even debilitating, to a more severe degree than pain inflicted on any other part of the body. Ever wonder why? It’s because most of the pain receptors in your back are found in muscle tissue.
When pain hits your back muscles it can be about 20 times more intense than having pain in any other muscle in the body. It all has to do with proximity. Your back muscles are located so close to the spinal cord, that when pain hits in the back area, it’s more intense and greatly exaggerated in comparison to that same level of pain hitting, say, your arm.
So, what do you do when back pain strikes? Since the pain can be triggered by something serious, it’s always a good idea to seek medical attention, but once given the go-ahead, here are three simple suggestions that can help alleviate your agony.
• Stretch your back! This can relieve back pain by elongating muscle tissues, improving blood circulation and speeding the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the area. Plus, it helps decompress the vertebrae. If you make a point of stretching your back morning, noon and night, you might just notice an improvement in the way you feel.
• Take a deep breath! When you take the time to breathe slowly and deeply, not only do you calm down from a mental standpoint, but muscles, including the ones in your back, also relax. When things get hectic during the day, take a few minutes here and there to concentrate on your breathing.
• Get up and about! Probably one of the worst things you can do for an aching back is inactivity. When you’re down and out, and not moving around very much, your muscles tend to stiffen. When they’re stiff, you’ll feel the pain.
Once you start moving around they loosen up again. More and more, doctors suggest activity over bed rest for the average back pain sufferer. The looser you are the better you’re likely to feel.
