The Quick Fix for your Low Back Pain
This 5 minute Read Could Save Your Back!
You have never had to lift or bend over so much in your life! You’re deep in the trenches: lifting your oversized toddler or repeatedly hunching over a change table or crib, and you’re starting to get that aching low back pain. We’re talking about the pain you feel after trying to lifting something that causes you to slowly walk your hands up your legs and you do the old man groan as you return to an upright position.
I might have the fix for you.
As I wrote this I literally got an emergent phone call from one of my patients with acute low back pain asking me which hospital they should go to. Now at the time of writing this we are in the midst of a pandemic with “the VID” (as one of my patients called it), so I did some triage, asked some key questions, and was able to give some advice on how to both, stay away from the hospital, and potentially help this patient fix her own back.
Here’s some, but not all, of the key questions that your physiotherapist would ask you during your first assessment:
Do you have radiating pain, or numbness down both legs?
Do you have any numbness or loss of sensation in your groin / saddle area?
Do you have any loss of bowel or bladder control?
Significant loss of strength in your leg ie. Drop Foot?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should seek medical advice urgently!
I’ll skip the theory, patho-anatomy, and boring stuff and just get to the best part. Depending on the severity of your symptoms here’s the plan. Every hour I want you to try and lie down on your stomach, take 10-20 deep breaths, and try and relax as much as possible. Let it all go. If you have a little discomfort with the exhale, but you can relax, then good.
If things are bad, your pain is bad enough that you’re having pain so bad you’re likely unable to even stand up straight here’s start at stage one, otherwise you might be able to skip ahead a few steps:
First Stage
Lie with some pillows under your hips, only as many as you need to allow you to relax in this position.
Second Stage
Simply lie prone, with no pillow support.
*Toddler resting on back optional, but not recommended
Third Stage:
Rest on your forearms.
Fourth Stage:
Rest with your arms extended. Remember you must be able to fully relax in this position!
Here are a few things you should avoid during the more acute low back pain episode:
Forward Bending - ie. flexing forward to put on socks, shoes. No matter how temporarily good it might feel to stretch out those low back muscles, avoid this for a few days until the back is feeling better.
Prolonged Postures - ie. sitting, stooping, lying. Even if this position feels good, you might find it pretty tough to get out of it if you’re there for too long. Try and avoid prolonged postures of >30mins
Well guys, I hope this works for you. You should know within a few days of being diligent with these. If you have had a worsening of your symptoms there’s a good chance you’re going to need further assessment from a physiotherapist. So FIND A GOOD ONE HERE.
-Physiodad