What kind of home remedies do you do for back pain?

United States
August 19, 2009 5:01pm CST
My boyfriend has severe back problems. He throws his back out at random, and is usually down for about a week. From what I can tell, he uses both heat & cold, alternating between the two, as well as hot baths, and what little stretching he can handle. I hate seeing him this way, I feel so bad for him and there's not much I can do :( What kind of remedies do you use for your back pain?
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8 responses
@preema723 (117)
• United States
19 Aug 09
Ever since my second pregnancy, my back has never been the same. If it is a muscle, I usually rely on Tiger Balm. It is strong stuff, but works great. I also love those herbal packs you can purchase - it is a pouch filled with herbal stuff and you can either put it in the freezer to make it cold or put it in the microwave to make it hot. I prefer it hot because it is soothing and the scent is very relaxing.
1 person likes this
@vutum6887 (118)
• India
27 Oct 09
I too suffer from back pain from time to time. O believe that when one gets such an attack it is better to rest. Lie on a firm bed on your back. As straight as possible instead of crouching......... Relax yourself.................... Give your body {back) time to adjust to relaxation. The pain is sure to subside soon. the word 'soon' however is relative. With a good posture during sleep it may go away in an hour or so; or even lessen in intensity. Do not jump into work etc the moment the pain is less or gone. That shall worsen things. Give some extra time even after the pain has GONE. This shall help in proper rehabilitation.
20 Aug 09
Well I can sympathise as I have had back problems for coming up to 4 years now and have had to have a spinal fusion surgery to try and relieve the pain, which hasn't been successful. So firstly I would say due to the frequency and randomness of his back problems he must get himself checked out by a doctor as it could be an underlying problem with the spine which needs treating by a specialist. It may be that he needs a course of physio and lessons in pain management rather than surgery. Secondly I would be careful on how many pain killers he takes as all these do is mask the pain and you can end up doing more damage when dosed up on pain killers. The other downside is that over time you beome immune to the effects of the pain killers and end up having to take stronger and stronger pain killers just to achieve minimal relief. Next, heat definitely helps and is much better for soothing pain in my books than pain killers. If he struggles with hot baths, getting in and out of the tub, then just standing with a hot shower on the point of pain definitely helps. Using a hot water bottle is definite must in my books If your boyfriend is carrying a little extra weight it would help to try and encourage him to lose a bit as being overweight puts pressure on your back and just by losing a little can help. Trust me I know how difficult this can be when immobile but definitely worth it. Stretching - If he is struggling with stretching he needs to persevere and slowly build up on it. It would also be worthwhile seeing a physio as they can give specific stretches to do which will help build up the core muscles so that reoccurences of the problem will be less frequent. Finally if you can get your hands on a Tens machine, which provides small electrical stimulation to the painful area it is worth trying as this can help alleviate the pain a little but in a natural way. and finally for you in particular. Just by being there, encouraging and understanding will help him feel better. But don't treat him with kid gloves as I know when I am having bad days I like assistance but I hate being treated like I can't do a thing. You need to let him work at his own pace if you know what I mean.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Aug 09
Hi krysiana, tell him to use ibruprofen rather than pain killers as they work as a muscle relaxant. Heat does help applied to the painful bit. The only way to help it though properly is with proper exercise techniques so I would try and get him to see a physio. Back exercises can be slow and hard to do but will give improvement if they are done properly as will strengthen the muscles.
• Czech Republic
15 Oct 09
Dear Krysiana, I would like to recommend your boyfriend a treatment I used and it really helped me a lot. I get recommendations from my friends to check site painfreesmsystem.com. It is funny exercise system with an elastic ropes, very easy to use and, trust me, really helpful. It copies the typical movements of your body.. oh, it will be better if you, or your boyfriend read full info on that site I mentioned above. :) Good luck
• Czech Republic
15 Oct 09
hh
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Aug 09
Stretching, walking, heat, ice, pain medication and muscle relaxants...
@hsofyan (3446)
• Jakarta, Indonesia
19 Aug 09
Try to relax with a swim.