Sore Back – What Not To Do

December 27, 2008 by soreback 

WHAT NOT TO DO

As important as it is to know what you should be doing to help your back pain, you also need to consider some common treatment methods that people often employ that actually make the situation worse.

Sleeping on the floor.

Imagine there are two pictures below.  One of course is of a human being from the back view, and the other is of a few boards.  Notice any difference?

Before you spend all day scratching your head and wondering what we’re getting at, the point is that a human body is not straight up and down the way a board is.  There are curves and contours on every part of the body, front and back, men and women.  We often forget about this; perhaps because we’re told to “sit up straight” or to keep our backs “ramrod” straight that we get the thought in our heads that the human back is flat and straight like a board.

No matter what your build – whether you’re as muscular or developed as this cartoon illustration or not – your back has curves and contours all up and down it, but especially in the area of the small of the back.  This area, if not supported, will begin to collapse which then causes those muscles to tense up further to keep the back supported.

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It’s unfortunate that many people with back problems have a tendency to sleep on the floor or a flat surface, thinking that this gives them more support than their own bed or a cushion of any type.  In reality this might relieve the pressure in some areas of the back but cause more pain in others as that flat surface is not giving support in these curved and contoured areas of the back.

If you find that sleeping in your bed causes you to wake up stiff and sore, it’s time to shop for a new mattress or to address the one you have.  Some have found that putting a firm piece of foam between the mattress and box spring can keep it from sagging in the middle so that they have better support.  Usually when your mattress is lumpy and old your back starts to hurt because it needs to tense up to support the body during sleep.  By having a better sleeping surface you’re bound to have less pain in the morning – but the floor is not that sleeping surface!  If you must sleep on the floor be sure to use a piece of foam or a thick sleeping bag, or a few thick sleeping bags, between you and it.  Your body needs more support than a flat wooden surface can give it and chances are you might feel some relief in some areas of the back but are doing more damage than good when you sleep on the floor.

Exercising the back.

Some people try to exercise the back muscles while at the gym; there are many machines and exercises that one can do to build up and strengthen those muscles.

It’s surprising how many people use exercise machines at the gym incorrectly and try to fix many yeas of inactivity by overdoing it the first few times they’re working out.  This means that the back is likely to be injured by exercise and those machines and weights more so than it’s likely to be strengthened.

If you do choose to do some back exercises or use resistance machines, be sure to watch your posture and to take it easy rather than overdo it.  Don’t put too much weight on the machines or stress the back too far.  This is especially important for those just starting out; take it easy at first and work your way up with additional weights or reps as you progress.

Staying in bed for three days.

It used to be that when someone went to see their doctor for back pain they were told to stay in bed for three days and rest.  Many doctors are now realizing that in some cases this can actually do more harm than good.

One typical cause of back pain is when the muscles cramp up due to injury or stress.  The muscles are trying to protect themselves the same way an armadillo curls up in its own shell when threatened!  But as long as those muscles are all curled up, you’re going to be in pain.

Doctors now are realizing that while you want to relieve stress and pressure on your back, you don’t want to stay in bed and inactive for any length of time as well.  Being inactive means that your metabolism and your blood circulation both slow down, and this means that the vital blood and healing agents that your body needs to fix itself are going to be denied to those back muscles.

Today doctors are often advising patients to rest for a few hours and apply heat to their back but to get active again in something with no impact or that is very gentle but that does get you moving.  Taking a slow walk or swimming is a good idea.

Taking the wrong medication.

If you have a sore throat, what do you take for it – aspirin?  A heating pad?  A laxative?

Of course not.  A sore throat calls for a lozenge or warm tea or something along those lines.  You don’t put a band-aid over your forehead when you have a headache and you don’t take a diuretic when you have an upset stomach.

Any medical condition calls for the proper medication.  Using something that isn’t designed for the particular problem you have is going to be ineffective and might even make matters worse.

It’s surprising how often people take the wrong medicines for back pain; considering the different ways your back can be injured or what might be causing the pain it’s always a good idea to try other remedies or to get a doctor’s opinion before you start popping pills or doing something else that might actually make things worse.

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