5 Holiday Gifts For The Back Pain Sufferer In Your Life
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
If you meet with your extended family during the holidays, odds are one or more of them are dealing with some form of back discomfort. They may be battling disc degeneration from years of physical labor, or from radiating pain due to sciatica. Whatever they are battling, the holiday season is the perfect time to let them know that their discomfort isn’t going unnoticed. Today, we share five gift ideas for back pain sufferers to help them get rid of their pain.
Sit-To-Stand Desks
If your friend or family member works in an office, odds are they are spending a lot of time sitting at their desk. It may not seem like a strenuous activity, but years of poor posture can have big implications for your spine. Research has shown that sit-to-stand workstations can help improve blood flow in the spine and ensure that the spine is in a healthy position. A sit-to-stand workstation is a great gift for the office worker in pain in your life.
Heating Pads
A heating pad is a great stocking stuffer for the family member suffering from spine pain. As we’ve stated on the blog before, a heating pad can help dilate blood vessels in the muscles of the lumbar spine, increasing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to muscles in the area, which helps spur the healing process. This passive treatment option is a great option for individuals who deal with frequent spinal strains or tissue injuries.
Gym Membership
You’ll want to be careful about how you present this gift to your friend or family member, as they could interpret the message in the wrong way, but exercise and weightlifting are great ways to prevent back pain and strengthen structures in the spine. We always say that the best way to treat spine pain is to prevent it in the first place, and regular exercise if one of the best ways to prevent spinal injuries. If you’re already dealing with spine pain, moderate exercise can often help lessen pain and reduce the risk of it returning. Consider buying a gym membership for yourself as well so you’ll have a gym buddy to help keep your spine in shape in 2017.
Massagers
Whether it’s in the form of a massage chair or a voucher for a 30-minute massage, sometimes a little hands-on treatment is just what the doctor prescribed. Massage therapy will never solve a person’s pain, but it has been shown to help alleviate it in the short term. Massages may not be right for every person with back pain, as it can actually make some nerve or disc issues worse, and they should be reserved for people whose back pain is the result of regular wear and tear or overstress.
Supportive Pillow
If your friend or family member if suffering from neck pain, there problem is likely housed in the cervical portion of their spine. Texting and poor posture are two common ways we stress the cervical portion of our neck, but other times it can be brought upon by the way we sleep. If our pillow is not giving us enough neck support, those muscles are stressed during a time when they are supposed to be relaxing. Investing in a supportive pillow could make a huge difference in how a neck pain sufferer feels when they wake up in the morning.
