5 Top Tips for Sudden Lower Back Pain

Acute lower back pain can be so deliberating, make you feel double your age and stop you from joining in on all the fun at a party. Acute is defined by sudden onset of pain. An example of this could be that one minute you are walking around fine, minding your own business. The next, you can’t stand back up after being struck with electric pain in the lower back from reaching down to grab the tea towel you just dropped on the floor. And just like that, the rest of your day has been written off… and maybe more!  

 Well as a Chiropractor, this sort of situation and type of pain really is my bread and butter. There can obviously be a few causes to this type of pain – muscular, joint strain or a grumpy disc, so I would recommend going to see a Chiropractor, Osteopath or Physiotherapist to have a thorough examination completed and more specific treatment and advice given. Having said that, these next top tips are very safe to do with any type of lower back pain, no matter the cause. Whether you’ve just pulled something or even if it’s a few weeks on and you are still suffering, give this a go! I’ll be gobsmacked if it doesn’t help.  

1.ICE 

Often when people hurt their backs, they immediately grab for a hot water bottle or go for a soak in the bath. This can help when the pain is muscle related, but specifically when it’s an on going problem and not an acute injury. Examples of a good time to use heat would be for tense shoulders after a long working day at the computer or for post exercise soreness. Using heat on acute pain often prolongs the pain as it is promoting the inflammation that has occurred with the original injury and the one that often causes pain.  

 I get it, heat feels more comforting and who wants to be put ice on themselves?! Especially in winter! Changing such a simple tactic often makes the world of difference to my patients when managing their back pain at home. The ice acts as a direct pain killer too as it numbs the area. The other great thing with this, is that there isn’t a limited number of times in a day you can use it, unlike medication or NSAID ointments. I would highly recommend making sure you have a layer between yourself and the ice pack to prevent ice burns. This could be a tea towel (the irony) or just the T-shirt you are wearing. The frequency of use I tend to recommend is having it on for 10-15 minutes every hour, when you can. So go and get yourself a proper ice pack and keep it in your freezer ready for a rainy day. They work much better than a bag of peas or the hard lunch box ice blocks. They cost about £5 and are virtually indestructible. We sell them at the clinic if you need one.   

2.  REST 

Rest is important, but maybe not in the way you think. Very old fashioned and out dated advice for back pain is bed rest. This is the worst thing you could do!! It also doesn’t mean sitting on your very low sofa. The best position to take a break in when you have back pain is the hook lying recovery position as demonstrated by moi. This position allows you to decompress your spine, take the gravitation weight off it and gives your muscles a chance to fully relax and let go. It should also be very comfortable… once down.  

 You can pop your calves up on something or just bend your knees up so your feet are on the floor. In an ideal world you’d do this on the floor, rather than a soft sofa or bed, but I understand it’s sometimes physically impossible to get up and down from the floor when your back pain is horrendous. It’s really important to set a timer here for a maximum of 20 minutes and then get up and MOVE! 

3. MOVE 

One of my favourite sayings, which I’m sure you’ve heard of before, is movement is medicine! This really is the case, both physically and mentally. Walking is one of the best things you can do when you experience back pain, but it does have to be brisk though! No window shopping dawdling walking, as this causes more extension in your lower back which results in the area feeling compressed and achy. Very similar to that feeling you might experience when standing still all day. Most people can walk off an element of their pain and feel better generally after movement.  

 After you’ve done your 20 minutes lying in the hook position, go for a walk around the block. If you’ve recently hurt your back, I would limit your walking time to a maximum of 45 minutes. This is where you can over do it and end up feeling more sore later that day. Unfortunately pain inhibits our muscles working to their fullest potential, so once they fatigue, which they will do quickly due to the circumstances, they won’t be working at their best. Then lie down in your hook lying position with your ice pack on. The more of this repetitive cycle you can do, the better for reducing your pain levels.  

4. BE CAREFUL 

People react so differently to pain. Some of you may ignore it and crack on with the day still trying to do everything that was on the agenda. Others may be crippled mentally and freeze their bodies to move like a robot. I have to say that neither are advisable. The biggest piece of advice to give you if you’ve just got sudden back pain is be careful with movements such as bending, twisting and lifting.  

 Now this doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t do them, but just be mindful of how you do them. Try to avoid lifting objects from a long lever, but make sure you are right next to them. Keeping it tucked into your centre of gravity and symmetrical. I wouldn’t recommend doing all those three movements as a combined action though… that really might cause more pain and that is not the aim of the game. 

 To give advice about specific exercises to do can always be very tricky. There are certain causes of back pain that won’t like specific things. For example, stretching your hamstrings can cause more lower back pain when the pain is produced by a grumpy disc. This is because the neural tension through out the back of your leg will tug on the disc when stretched out straight. This does tend to aggravate the pain, as it’s a little bit like poking a bruise. If you are finding yourself wanting to keep stretching them out, but actually not getting any relief from it – stop. This could actually be prolonging your pain symptoms.  

5. DON’T PANIC 

Pain does not always equal damage. This is especially important to understand when you are moving around after you’ve hurt yourself. More pain, does not equal more damage. It not uncommon to not be able to see the source of the pain on an MRI, so this means that not all pain comes with a physical/structural change. 

 Some of you may fret that the pain is never going to get better, or a few may even mentally jump to the extremes that your back pain may cause paralysation. This fear tends to come from patients that have never experienced acute severe pain before. I know it can be frightening, but most back pain is not sinister and will be gone within a few weeks. There aren’t any miracle cures either, even with treatment it’s not a one session fix. Just remember though, it will get better!  

 If you are worried about your pain or would like to know the source of it, please book in with a professional. This can help with knowing specific things to do (and not do) related to your back pain. I would highly recommend seeing either a Chiropractor, Osteopath or Physiotherapist to have a thorough physical examination and case history taken. It really can offer a lot of reassurance, guidance and symptom relief with some hands on treatment. Most back pain doesn’t require any form of imaging either, whether that’s an MRI or X-ray, so don’t be surprised if your practitioner doesn’t recommend one. 

Have you tried all of Nadene’s top tips? Is your back pain still not any better? Book in to see us! We are here to help.

Read onto our next article ‘Kinesiology Tape’ by Sports Therapist Gabby.