What To Do During A Back Pain Flare Up
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Back pain is an extremely common health condition, but it affects people in all sorts of ways. Some people suffer acute back pain after a traumatic injury, others battle chronic low back pain, and some patients deal with random back pain flare ups. We can help you treat all different types of spine pain, but in today’s blog, we want to focus on how you can control and reduce symptoms caused by a back pain flare up.
Causes and Treatments For Back Pain Flare Ups
There is no perfect playbook for treating back pain flare ups because the cause of the flare up tends to be unique to the individual. For example, one person could be suffering from spinal muscle spasms brought on by dehydration, while another could be dealing with the side effects of a pinched spinal nerve. So while it’s best to get care advice from a spine specialist who can view your condition in person and prescribe an individualized recommendation, here are some ways to try and help calm your flare up.
- Stop What You’re Doing – If you’re doing something active and back pain flares up, stop what you’re doing and take a rest. For many types of back pain flare ups, the best thing you can do is stop activity in the short-term and rest the area. Sit or lie down and see if pain subsides after a little bit.
- Ice/Heat – Ice and heat therapy is another avenue to pursue if you’re dealing with the beginning stages of a flare up. It’s difficult to say which option would be best for you, but try both and see what seems to work best. Ice packs or a warm bath are two great ways to use this type of therapy for a back pain flare up.
- Simple Movements – One problem that can occur during a back pain flare up is that a patient rests too long. Once your pain starts to subside, rengage in simple physical activities, like standing or walking around. Getting your body used to simple movements can help it undertake these activities without pain.
- Build On Your Good Days – When flare ups aren’t occurring, make sure you’re taking time to help strengthen your spine and the affected area. Work to increase your distance or repetitions to actively strengthen your spine. Getting physically stronger helps to create more spinal stability, and oftentimes this can reduce the frequency of painful flare ups.
- Talk To A Specialist – Finally, if you’re still finding it difficult to get control over your flare ups or alleviate them once they set in, talk to a spine specialist like Dr. Sinicropi. Getting to the root of the problem often helps develop a targeted treatment solution. Flare ups are unlikely to resolve on their own, so if your treatments aren’t providing relief, let us step in and help.
For more information, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his clinic today.
