What is the Best Treatment for Back Pain?
Back pain is the worst. Whether it’s coming from just below your neck, between your shoulders, or your lower back, one thing is certain, you want it to go away. That, of course, leaves the question, what is the best treatment for back pain?
The best treatment for back pain is one that is comprehensive and unique to the part of the back that is ailing you. You should reduce stress, stretch regularly and possibly consider wearing specialty insoles in your shoes. Additionally, you can use hot/cold patches and over-the-counter meds.
If you’re seeking relief from your back pain, we’ve got you covered. In the sections below, we will review steps you can take at home to reduce your back pain, both in the short term and long term. While we still recommend seeing a doctor, these strategies may be able to help you make it until you can.
How Do You Get Rid of Back Pain Fast?
While we would ultimately recommend seeing a doctor if you’re experiencing severe back pain, there are a few things you can try at home that can help make it more manageable.
Here are four home remedies that can help with back pain in the short term:
- Specific sleeping positions: You may want to alter your sleeping position based on where your back pain is coming from. If you lay on your back, with a pillow under your head and another under your knees, you will straighten up your spine while you sleep. Alternatively, you can sleep on your left side with a pillow between your knees.
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- Stretches and exercises: There are a whole host of back exercises you can do to reduce back pain. We will dive into these in more detail in the following section, but suffice to say, these will reduce your pain over a period of time. They may not make it feel better immediately, but if you do them consistently they will.
- Hot and cold patches: Hot and cold patches stimulate the skin around where the back pain is, distracting your mind from the pain itself. These can be bought over the counter and are many people’s first defense against back pain.
- Insoles for your shoes: You might be thinking, “what do my feet have to do with my back?” The truth, however, is it has a lot to do with back pain. If you’re in uncomfortable shoes, pressure travels up your legs and causes your back pain to get worse. Custom insoles allow you to relieve that pressure and walk more comfortably all at once.
One more thing you might want to consider is taking steps to reduce and deal with stress in your life. Stress hormones can actually make you feel pain more acutely in the same way extreme pleasure can make you forget the pain.
Stretches and Exercises for Back Pain
As we stated in the previous section, there are several stretches and exercises you can perform to reduce your back pain.
Below we’ve listed some of the best stretches available along with what part of the back they work for to help you start reducing your back pain today:
- Cat Stretches (lower back pain)
- Knee-to-chest stretches (lower back pain)
- Scapular Squeeze (upper back pain)
- Neck Side Bend Rotation (just below the neck)
Even if you only have back pain in one part of your back, it’s still good to practice all of these. In fact, they are good to do even after your back pain goes away as a preventative measure.
Over the Counter Medications for Back Pain
There are many different over-the-counter medications available that can provide you with at least some relief from your back pain.
Below we’ve listed the most common meds associated with treating back pain at home:
- Doans
- Ibuprofen (Advil)
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Naproxen sodium (Aleve)
Please remember to always talk to your doctor before trying any new medication. Even over-the-counter medications can be dangerous if they interact with other medications or supplements you take. Your doctor will be best equipped to know what is safe for you individually.
So Really, What is the Best Treatment for Back Pain?
There really is no one best home back pain treatment. Rather you want to be going after it on multiple fronts.
By using a combination of over-the-counter meds, specialty shoe insoles, hot/cold patches, and special stretching exercises, you will hopefully be able to reduce the pain long enough to see a doctor.
