We’ve all had a twinge or a niggle in our back at some point in our lives, but for some, the chronic dull ache can be debilitating. Back pain can be caused by a sports injury, age-related wear and tear or those few extra pounds you put on at Christmas. For some, the cause of back pain is a mystery but remains a source of misery for millions.
You will hear friends, well-meaning family members, and doctors reel off a list of cliches: eat well, lose weight, make a lifestyle change, try yoga. But what if you have done all of these things and you are still pulling your hair out looking for a remedy? There may not be a quick fix, but there are some factors within your control that can help you manage your pain.
Think of your home as having a newfound purpose: to help you banish your back pain. There are many easy tweaks you can make in your living room, bedroom and bathroom that could ease your back ache.
Your living room is a place where you should be able to kick back and relax. You shouldn’t be concerned about maneuvering your way around a sofa trying to find that elusive position where you are relatively pain-free for all of ten minutes before you have to move again.
A worthwhile option is to get a new lounger that distributes your body weight evenly, relieving those problematic spinal pressure points. Highly durable bean bags and foam chairs are ideal for this. You’ll be spending less time worrying about your back twinges and more time worrying about your inability to follow the plot of the movie on TV.
You will spend a third of your life sleeping and chances are most of that snoozing will be in your bed. It is vital that your spine is aligned so that your ear and shoulder remain in a straight line. The den of plush pillows and cushions you have adorning your bed are not going to help with this aim. Whether you sleep on your side or your back, a single memory foam pillow will support your neck leading to less pain when waking in the morning. Invest in a good mattress topper for back pain, too.
Perhaps the easiest tweak of them all is in the bathroom. Do you feel a spasm every time you twist and reach for the toilet paper? Get down to your local department store and buy a freestanding toilet roll holder that you can place in the most convenient and pain-free position for your back.
Painkillers help to a certain extent, but they are merely masking the pain, often meaning that you risk doing too much when pain-free. Only when the pills have worn off, do you realize that trampolining with the kids wasn’t such a wise idea. Tablets can take the edge off the pain and make life more bearable for a short while, but they aren’t a solution to a chronic problem.
Alleviating your aching back can feel like a hopeless task at times but making these simple adjustments to your home could help you begin to banish your back pain.
