Back Pain

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BACK PAIN

Women and Men suffer from about the same amount of back pain, but while men most often get long lasting back pain from lifting too much, women often ache from sitting too much.

Stay Calm

Most lower back pain goes away within a few days or a week, even if you do nothing. Take a deep breathe and calm down as much as you can. It'll help ease the distress, and it may speed your healing.

Take a day off

If your back hurts, you wont feel up doing much of anything. So don't try. Go to bed and give yourself some much needed respite.

Rest for a day or two, but no more

Too much rest, however, can do more harm than good, say back care experts. Even if you dont feel A-OK, you need to get active within a day or so. If you stay in bed in longer than two days, your circulation will slow down, your muscles and joints will stiffen and you'll actually increase your chances of another back injury.

Turn on the heat

To soothe the ache, apply a hot water bottle or heating pad to the site of the pain.

Or ice it

Sometimes women find that ice is the best way to relieve inflammation. put an ice pack on the site of the pain for five to ten minutes at a time-say,every hour-for a day or so.

Go OTC

Any over-the-counter pain reliever containing aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen or ketoprofen can ease back pain.

The gentle streches

Gentle streches can actually help you heat more quickly.

Stop Smoking

If you smoke, quit. Studies have shown that people who don't smoke are more likely to experience long lasting relief from back pain, including less persistent problems overall than those who do smoke.