6 Proven Tips for Relieving Lower Back Pain, Middle Back Pain, and Upper Back Pain

During a 6 month period 5 in 10 people suffered from lower back pain according to a Back Pain Survey mailed out to 2184 Saskatchewan adults. (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9762743/)

For many Canadians the first thing they do when experiencing back pain is reach for a pain reliever. Unfortunately that only offers temporary relief and can come with nasty side effects. Today we will talk about 6 tips to ease back pain without pain relievers.

But first what causes back pain?

Common causes include:

Pinched or irritated nerves
Intervertebral Discs
Irritated Muscles and ligaments
Muscle imbalances and weakness

Now here are 6 tips that can provide back pain relief.

Move!

Prolonged sitting puts stress on your lower back and can worsen your pain. That’s why it is important to move as much as you can throughout the day. Generally it is recommended to reduce prolonged sitting to 30-45 minutes at any given time. Scheduling regular movement breaks can help you reduce your overall sitting time.

Movement breaks can come in the form of walking or stretching. You can also work with a Physiotherapist to tell which movements are best for your specific pain.

Practice good posture habits

It’s important to keep an eye on your posture. The way you hold your back when you sit, walk, stand, and complete every day activities can affect your back pain. Poor posture habits can increase stiffness, pain, and discomfort in your back and may be a prominent cause of your pain.

Here are some tips to maintaining good posture while sitting:

Avoid prolonged sitting up in your bed hunched over with your laptop because it can worsen your back problems over time.

Instead sit in a chair with your shoulders relaxed back. back straight, feet flat on the ground at 90 degrees. Additionally, positioning your monitor so that the top of it is at eye level helps to reduce neck strain from looking down.

When standing:

Keep your shoulders back and feet shoulder width apart.

Arms hanging at your sides naturally.

With sitting and standing, however, it is important to know that there is not one perfect posture. Instead, it is important to move through different postures in these positions instead of remaining static.

Avoid back pain when shovelling snow courtesy of Peak Health & Performance (Read the caption)

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Proper sleep position

Sleeping on your side with a pillow in between your legs can be helpful if you are a side-sleeper. Placing a pillow between your knees helps align your hips which can lessen back pain.

Ice and heat therapy

Ice packs can reduce early inflammation, especially if you just injured your back. However, you should never place ice directly on your skin. Instead wrap it in a thin towel to prevent skin damage.

Heating Pads can reduce pain and tension once the inflammation has gone down.

Fix muscle imbalances

A common cause of back pain is the presence of muscle imbalances in your back, hip and core muscles. Having dysfunction in these muscle groups can place excess strain on the structures of the back and contribute to pain. That’s why it’s important to focus on exercises to strengthen these muscles and fix the imbalances. A chiropractor can help you design a home program to improve function of these muscles.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic care has been proven to be effective for lower back pain, middle back pain and upper back pain relief. A study on 42 patients who suffered from lower back pain and visited a chiropractor for 2 months showed that low force spinal adjustments significantly reduced their lower back pain. In fact 4.7 million Canadians go to a Chiropractor every year.

Different types of back pain courtesy of INNOVA Integrated Wellness Centre (Read the caption)

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How does a chiropractic adjustment work?

When you have back pain, most of the time there will dysfunction in the nerve receptors in the painful muscle or joint. When this dysfunction persists it can cause your lower back pain

A Chiropractic adjustment works by providing these nerve receptors a special stimulus that can help them return to normal functioning. This stimulus can help to reduce your lower back pain. In fact, conditions like headaches and others not related to your back can be relieved through chiropractic adjustment.

During your first Chiropractic treatment they will first perform a detailed assessment of your condition. This will include a history your symptoms and the completion of a series of movement tests.

Then they will develop a custom treatment plan to relieve your back pain.

During the first chiropractic treatment they may manipulate key parts of your back to bring your back to normal function again. This manipulation can be abrupt or a low force that you barely feel. A chiropractic adjustment should not painful.

They may even recommend certain at home stretches or back pain exercises to enhance the treatment plan.

So If your back pain is preventing you from doing what you want, why not book an appointment with one of our Chiropractors near you? To schedule now just click the find a clinic near me button on this page.

What causes back pain and what can you do to avoid it courtesy of Durham Spine & Sports Clinic (Read the caption)

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Book Your BACK NECK SHOULDER KNEE ELBOW HIP WRIST FOOT Pain Consult

This appointment is your opportunity to tell us what hurts and discover whether physiotherapy or chiropractic care is a good fit for you! During this session, you will talk with a physiotherapist or chiropractor on a phone call (or online) and create the right care plan specifically for your pain. There is no obligation on this session is to find out whether physiotherapy or chiropractic care can help you getting back to doing the things you love in life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What organs can cause lower back pain?

Organs that are located near your back like your kidneys, pancreas, uterus, and colon.

How can I tell if my back pain is kidney related?

Back pain usually occurs in your lower back whereas kidney pain is higher up and deeper. Kidney pain can be experienced in your sides, middle, or upper back.

What's the most common source of back pain?

Back sprains or strains.

About Taylor Sipos

Taylor is a physiotherapist at The Orthopaedic Therapy Clinic located in Toronto, Ontario. He treats patients with various musculoskeletal conditions using patient education, exercise therapy, manual therapy and acupuncture. His treatment philosophy involves giving his patient’s the means to self-manage their injuries. He does this through reassurance, education and health promotion. Taylor uses the same principles as a patient educator at Pain Hero. He aims to provide you with high-quality, easy to understand information to teach you about your condition and how to improve it.

Medical Disclaimer:

The information presented in this blog post is for educational purposes and should not be interpreted as medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, treatment or a diagnosis, consult with a medical professional such as one suggested on this website. The Clinic Accelerator Inc. and the author of this page are not liable for the associated risks of using or acting upon the information contained in this article.

6 Proven Tips for Relieving Lower Back Pain, Middle Back Pain, and Upper Back Pain