Lower back pain is mainly caused by injuries to, or misuse of, ligaments, sacroiliac joints, and facet joints. Other things likely to cause lower back pain include joint degeneration or osteoarthritis, herniated disks, spondylolisthesis and spondylolysis, spinal stenosis, spinal deformities and vertebral fractures. All these cause pain by exerting extra pressure on the roots of [...]
Lower Back Pain Relief
Not only does lower back pain cause distress and inconvenience, but it can throw your whole routine into disarray.
Every day, thousands of people look for a form of lower back pain relief, in the hopes that it may help them ease their suffering.
Taking Responsibility for our Own Pain Relief.
Whilst there are many treatments for lower back pain which can be prescribed by a doctor or purchased over the counter, these days, many health professionals are looking to us to take more responsibility for our back pain, and look at ways that we can help to achieve lower back pain relief for ourselves.
Of course, that’s not to say that our doctors are neglecting their duty of care – far from it – but what they are doing is encouraging us to take a far more active role in the management of our own back pain.
Long gone are the days when a doctor would tell a patient to take complete rest lying on a board until the pain in their back had eased. These days, we are urged to exercise to strengthen and tone our lower back muscles, take a yoga class, investigate natural and alternative forms of pain relief, and simply to try and learn to relax to help bring about the release of our lower back pain.
Whilst many may prefer to stick with the conventional remedies for lower back pain relief that they are accustomed to, many others are keen to explore the ‘alternative’ avenues to ease their symptoms. There are no right or wrong choices here – only the personal choice of what is best suited to the individual.
Memory Foam Mattresses
To complement a chosen method of lower back pain relief, a memory foam mattress, or mattress topper, may go a long way in helping to ensure that a good night’s sleep is achieved. Memory foam is a material which has been widely used in hospitals for many years in the manufacture of items such as cushions, pillows and neck supports.
This type of mattress is available in varying levels of ‘firmness’, but all of them will provide a comfortable, and supportive surface on which to lie. Unlike some regular mattresses, which your body will sink into where it touches, a memory foam mattress will distribute your body weight over its entire surface, resulting in much more even support.
A full mattress will cover the whole bed, in exactly the same way as a regular mattress would. A mattress topper is significantly thinner that a full mattress, is cheaper than a full mattress, and can be used on top of your existing mattress.
It should be noted that for lower back pain relief, the thinnest memory foam mattresses should be avoided, as long-term, the level of support they offer will become reduced.
Communication is Key to Achieving Lower Back Pain Relief
As far as getting the right kind of lower back pain relief is concerned, being able to tell your doctor exactly what your symptoms are, and exactly how they are affecting you, will go a long way in making sure that you start off with the best treatment possible.
If you are keen to try an alternative method to deal with your pain relief, discuss the options with your doctor. If you don’t want to take a particular medication for some reason, tell your doctor why – chances are, he will be able to recommend an alternative.
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