What to Do If Your Back Often Hurts? (Tips and Helpful Herbs)
If your back pain lasts more than three months, it has entered a chronic stage. From this point onwards, the pain will only worsen. It will come and go in waves, offering temporary relief. Soon, frustration will follow, and you will find yourself distracted while doing the simplest tasks. While visiting a doctor is a must, there are other ways to find relief. We recommend trying a back pain supplement and introducing a few changes to your routine.
Chronic back pain is primarily age-related. However, it might arise due to poor posture or a previous injury. Its common causes include arthritis, spinal stenosis, a herniated disc, and myofascial pain syndrome. Get a complete medical workup to ensure it is nothing severe that might require invasive surgery.
If your back pain has gotten to a point where it's unbearable, here are a few pain relief methods you should try:
Tips for Relieving Muscle Pain
Increase Your Vitamin D and Calcium Intake
Strong bones help prevent osteoporosis, a common cause of muscle pain. Here are food recommendations to increase your calcium and Vitamin D intake:
Calcium
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Leafy greens
- Pain relief supplements
Vitamin D
- Cheese
- Egg yolks
- Fatty fish
- Beef liver
Sleep With a Knee Pillow
The design of a knee pillow elevates your knees and relieves pressure on your spine. This design only helps with back pain but also improves your posture.
Change Your Shoes
Low-heeled shoes reduce tension in your back. When your feet get accustomed to being flat, your spine gets its natural curve back.
Avoid Slumping Over a Desk
Slumping over your office desk for hours can damage your posture. Here's how you should sit:
- Keep your feet flat on the ground
- Do not cross your knees
- Make sure there's a small gap between the chair and the back of your knees
- Position the knees at a height similar to the hips
- Relax your shoulders
Use Ice and Heat
Applying ice and heat one after the other on your back can help reduce pain. Wrap an ice pack in a cloth and massage your back for 20 minutes. Switch to a heating pad and massage for 20 minutes. This temperature change will increase blood flow and relax your muscles.
Herbs for Muscle Pain
Over-the-counter medicines are effective pain support supplements. However, long-term use can get you addicted to them. The same thing applies to prescription medicine when you develop a threshold. Here, alternative medicine can be helpful.
Here are some herbs that help relieve back pain:
Peppermint
The hybrid herbaceous plant Menthapiperita L.is known for peppermint oil. It has pain-relieving, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. The Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine review notes describes how peppermint was used as a topical treatment to relieve painful back spasms.
Feverfew
Feverfew is a medicinal plant commonly used to relieve migraine headaches and fevers but also works well in reducing muscle pain. The compounds in this herb reduce muscle spasms and inflammation. A review of a 2011 study concluded that Feverfew has pain-relieving properties.
Devil's Claw
Devil's Claw is a wild South African herb that helps with back pain. However, there's not much research on its effects. The active compound harpagoside in this herb is what soothes lower back pain.
Wild Lettuce
The milky white substance from the wild lettuce plant is dried and crushed to produce a pain relief supplement. The extract acts on the nervous system and has a sedative effect, which reduces pain. Nowadays, you can buy wild lettuce pain relief supplements online through various wellness websites.
Wild lettuce is known as poor man's opium. It offers the same sedative effects as opium but is less additive, which makes it a better pain relief supplement.
One of the best things about using alternative medicine for your back pain is that the side effects are few. Try these herbs and adopt healthy posture habits to alleviate your back pain.
People looking for a natural pain relief remedy are mostly the ones who use wild lettuce for pain. Visit the Secrets of the Tribe website for premium quality Wild Lettuce Tincture. They also offer other herbs for various pain problems. For more information, check the Contact Us page.