Low back pain, hip pain or neck pain … none of them are welcome on your summer holidays!
Yippeeee! You have finally gotten away from the office and escaped on your well deserved holidays!! But low and behold, you get a flare up of low back pain …
If you are struggling with back pain on your summer holidays there are a few simple things you can do to help yourself recover.
Keep moving
Long gone are the days of heading to bed and resting when an acute episode of pain flares up. If you stop moving, the potential to get weaker and stiffer arises. This can often hinder your recovery. Remember that pain is a protective device, not a measure of tissue damage. So I recommend remaining gently active. Avoid movements that particularly aggravate your issue but remain active overall. This can help encourage normal movement to return as quickly as possible.
Avoid sitting for too long
Sitting for too long can cause inflamed muscles to tighten up. Although you might feel some relief from staying still, it may mean that pain is more intense when you do try to move.
Limit your sitting time to between 20 and 30 minutes.
Also, choose your seat carefully, the sun lounger in the below picture will generally be a nightmare to get out of if your low back pain has flared up.
Back Pain and Sleep Position
Very often clients tell me their low back pain flared up after the first night or two on their apartment or hotel mattress. Sleeping in the most supportive position for your spine is important and can be even more so when becoming accustomed to a new mattress.
Sleeping on your side with a pillow/cushion between your knees or on your back with a pillow underneath your knees is the best option.
It is always important that you listen to your body so if you find a more comfortable position that allows you to sleep; work with that. However, in general I recommend the above mentioned sleeping positions.
Seek Help!
If your issue does not resolve itself within a day or two or if you have suffered with repeated episodes of low back pain, I would recommend you seek advice from a medical health professional. Remember, addressing a problem sooner rather than later is best.
Check out the above video for things NOT to do when you have mid back pain.
Natural Back Health is a private professional service providing gentle, low force and safe therapy to bring about healing and relief. I will support your recovery out of pain and back to doing the things you love. I have a whole health and body philosophy to my treatments. My plan of care generally includes tailored advice on stress management, nutrition, exercise, sleep and in-house gentle manual therapy.
If you have any further questions regarding this topic please do not hesitate to contact the clinic on 087 1815007 or here.
Read more about what to expect from my treatments.
Hopefully you find the general information on this page informative and helpful, however it is not intended to replace medical advice and should not be used as such.