Social Isolation: Hidden Remedies for Back Pain Relief

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For many people, there is no single or certain cure for lower back pain. It often takes a process of trial and error to find out what works best for you.

During this challenging time of social distancing and self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak, here are some remedies that are often overlooked or under-emphasized in the traditional medical model that you can perform at home. These may help until you can get in to see your pain doctors once again. Traditional medical approaches will usually focus on addressing the anatomical problems in your lower back, but for many people more of a multifaceted approach will do a better job at keeping the pain at bay.

Number one: Release your inner endorphins.

Endorphins are hormones made naturally in your body. What most people don’t know is that they can be just as strong as any manufactured pain medication. When endorphins are released in your body, they help block pain signals from registering with your brain. Endorphins also help alleviate anxiety, stress, and depression, which are all associated with chronic back pain and often make the pain worse.

Try these following activities to release these feel-good messengers: aerobic exercise, massage therapy, and meditation.

Number two: Get enough restorative sleep.

Pain is a leading cause of insomnia – difficulty with falling asleep or staying asleep. Approximately two-thirds of people with chronic back pain suffer from some type of sleep disorder. Paradoxically, inadequate sleep can make your back pain worse. If you have sleep problems, you need to get the sleep problems addressed too.

Number three: Exercise your core.

The muscles in your abs and back play a critical role in supporting your lower spine. These muscles don’t get a good workout during a normal day, so they need to be specifically targeted through exercise.

There are many simple exercises that can be performed in 20 to 30 minutes as part of your daily routine. If you are just starting out, even a simple act of sitting upright on an exercise ball will engage your core muscles.

Number four: Soothe the pain with cold and/or heat.

Don’t underestimate the pain reduction of simply applying cold packs and/or hot packs to help reduce your lower back pain and spur the healing process.

Cold therapy – Cold application has two primary benefits: It reduces inflammation, which is usually a culprit in any type of back pain. It acts as a local anesthetic by slowing down nerve impulses, which keep the nerves from spasming and causing pain.

Heat therapy – Heat application has two primary benefits: It stimulates blood flow, which brings healing nutrients to the affected area of the low back. It inhibits the pain messages being sent to the brain. Heat can come in many forms, and it’s best to try several to find what works best for you. Taking a hot bath or shower, soaking in a hot tub, or using a heating pad, hot water bottle, or heat wrap that provides continuous, low-level heat are all ways to bring healing warmth to your lower back.

Number five: Stretch your hamstrings twice daily.

If your hamstring muscles – those located in the back of your thighs – are too tight, your lower back and sacroiliac joints will be stressed, leading to more pain. Hamstring stretching should be done carefully and at least twice per day. There are many gentle stretching exercises that should not hurt.

Number six: Engage your brain.

Pain specialists have long understood that pain is not absolute; it is more complicated than just a sensation. The way your brain interprets and processes pain signals plays an important role in how you perceive your pain.

The good news is that you can develop skills for your brain to reduce or ignore the pain signals. Developing expertise in these skills can go a long way to help you have some degree of influence over your pain.

Number seven: Try an anti-inflammatory diet.

There is good evidence that shows that diet can have a very large impact on whole-body inflammation and in turn, chronic pain. By learning which foods trigger inflammation and which foods and supplements can help reduce inflammation, you can eat your way to a more pain-free life.

Bonus Tip: Find activities that make you happy.

Ongoing pain can wreak havoc on your life, affecting your cherished relationships, finances, and your ability to get stuff done at work and at home. It can also interrupt your sleep and affect your mood. Anything you can do for yourself that is a natural anti-depressant will help.

Some people find that even doing just 3 things that make them feel good each day, such as enjoying a comforting cup of tea or coffee, calling an old friend, prayer, walking the dog, or receiving a long, 30-second hug from a loved one can make pain more tolerable.

Even if you are in severe pain and are undergoing extensive medical treatments, we encourage you to still try to remember the simple things you can do for yourself to help heal and get stronger and healthier over time. The doctors at Southwest Pain Management can provide you with additional resources via email to help you manage your pain while you remain in social isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.

Call or email us today! In the meantime, stay safe until we see you again!

AUTHOR: Dr. Bob DeLillo, DNP, CRNA, NSPM-C, APRN, AFAAPM

Dr. DeLillo is board-certified and fellowship-trained in nonsurgical pain management, board-certified in anesthesia, and certified in nutritional pain management. He is also an Advanced Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management and was certified in nutritional pain management by the Academy of Integrative Pain Management

For many people, there is no single or certain cure for lower back pain. It often takes a process of trial and error to find out what works best for you.

During this challenging time of social distancing and self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak, here are some remedies that are often overlooked or under-emphasized in the traditional medical model that you can perform at home. These may help until you can get in to see your pain doctors once again. Traditional medical approaches will usually focus on addressing the anatomical problems in your lower back, but for many people more of a multifaceted approach will do a better job at keeping the pain at bay.

Number one: Release your inner endorphins.

Endorphins are hormones made naturally in your body. What most people don’t know is that they can be just as strong as any manufactured pain medication. When endorphins are released in your body, they help block pain signals from registering with your brain. Endorphins also help alleviate anxiety, stress, and depression, which are all associated with chronic back pain and often make the pain worse.

Try these following activities to release these feel-good messengers: aerobic exercise, massage therapy, and meditation.

Number two: Get enough restorative sleep.

Pain is a leading cause of insomnia – difficulty with falling asleep or staying asleep. Approximately two-thirds of people with chronic back pain suffer from some type of sleep disorder. Paradoxically, inadequate sleep can make your back pain worse. If you have sleep problems, you need to get the sleep problems addressed too.

Number three: Exercise your core.

The muscles in your abs and back play a critical role in supporting your lower spine. These muscles don’t get a good workout during a normal day, so they need to be specifically targeted through exercise.

There are many simple exercises that can be performed in 20 to 30 minutes as part of your daily routine. If you are just starting out, even a simple act of sitting upright on an exercise ball will engage your core muscles.

Number four: Soothe the pain with cold and/or heat.

Don’t underestimate the pain reduction of simply applying cold packs and/or hot packs to help reduce your lower back pain and spur the healing process.

Cold therapy – Cold application has two primary benefits: It reduces inflammation, which is usually a culprit in any type of back pain. It acts as a local anesthetic by slowing down nerve impulses, which keep the nerves from spasming and causing pain.

Heat therapy – Heat application has two primary benefits: It stimulates blood flow, which brings healing nutrients to the affected area of the low back. It inhibits the pain messages being sent to the brain. Heat can come in many forms, and it’s best to try several to find what works best for you. Taking a hot bath or shower, soaking in a hot tub, or using a heating pad, hot water bottle, or heat wrap that provides continuous, low-level heat are all ways to bring healing warmth to your lower back.

Number five: Stretch your hamstrings twice daily.

If your hamstring muscles – those located in the back of your thighs – are too tight, your lower back and sacroiliac joints will be stressed, leading to more pain. Hamstring stretching should be done carefully and at least twice per day. There are many gentle stretching exercises that should not hurt.

Number six: Engage your brain.

Pain specialists have long understood that pain is not absolute; it is more complicated than just a sensation. The way your brain interprets and processes pain signals plays an important role in how you perceive your pain.

The good news is that you can develop skills for your brain to reduce or ignore the pain signals. Developing expertise in these skills can go a long way to help you have some degree of influence over your pain.

Number seven: Try an anti-inflammatory diet.

There is good evidence that shows that diet can have a very large impact on whole-body inflammation and in turn, chronic pain. By learning which foods trigger inflammation and which foods and supplements can help reduce inflammation, you can eat your way to a more pain-free life.

Bonus Tip: Find activities that make you happy.

Ongoing pain can wreak havoc on your life, affecting your cherished relationships, finances, and your ability to get stuff done at work and at home. It can also interrupt your sleep and affect your mood. Anything you can do for yourself that is a natural anti-depressant will help.

Some people find that even doing just 3 things that make them feel good each day, such as enjoying a comforting cup of tea or coffee, calling an old friend, prayer, walking the dog, or receiving a long, 30-second hug from a loved one can make pain more tolerable.

Even if you are in severe pain and are undergoing extensive medical treatments, we encourage you to still try to remember the simple things you can do for yourself to help heal and get stronger and healthier over time. The doctors at Southwest Pain Management can provide you with additional resources via email to help you manage your pain while you remain in social isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.

Call or email us today! In the meantime, stay safe until we see you again!

AUTHOR: Dr. Bob DeLillo, DNP, CRNA, NSPM-C, APRN, AFAAPM

Dr. DeLillo is board-certified and fellowship-trained in nonsurgical pain management, board-certified in anesthesia, and certified in nutritional pain management. He is also an Advanced Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management and was certified in nutritional pain management by the Academy of Integrative Pain Management

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