Back Pain – My Experience and the 6 Things That Helped Me

“Nkeoma, please what can I do about my back? My back pain is unbearable. I cannot cope with it anymore”.

Apart from questions about weight loss and flat tummy, this is one of the frequent complaints I hear from a lot people.

Today I will be sharing my personal experience of back pain and what helped me to deal with it. I am free from back pain now. If you follow the tips I will be sharing with you later in this post, you may experience the same relief.

The first time I experienced back pain was in the 6^th month of my first pregnancy. The dull ache just refused to go away. Nothing made it feel better. Sitting down, standing, walking and laying down all brought the pain on.

When I complained to my doctor, he recommended pelvic tilts. This gave me relief only when I was standing up.

I had my baby 10 days after the expected delivery date. I was given epidural anesthesia. I enjoyed it because it took the pain of childbirth away.

However, 3 months after the delivery, the back pain came back with a vengeance. This time it will radiate from the area surrounding my spine where I had the epidural injection and spread like a hot wave all over my back as if someone had poured liquid fire there.

I took the steps below. Some of them were recommended by a Doctor and others by my fitness coach who was also a midwife.

I practiced all of them and my back is healthy and free of pain. Go through them and pick the ones you think you can do. Then start doing them immediately

# 1 Pelvic tilts

 

During my pregnancy, my Doctor told me to always do pelvic tilts when I had back pain. I continued with it and it always brought instant relief to my aching back whenever I did it. I normally do standing pelvic tilts. Pelvic tilts supports the muscle in your lower back, gives your back a gentle massage and gives relief from lower back pain

How to do it

Stand with legs hip width apart

Make your buttocks stick out by arching your lower back

Your pubic bone should face the ground

Reverse

Flatten the bottom of your lower back

Tuck your buttocks under

Your pubic bone should be facing up.

Do it when cooking, when waiting for the copier or just stand briefly and do it

# 2 Massages

 

I believe that massage is the major thing that gave me relief from back pain and helped eventually in healing my back pain.

I had my back massaged 3 times a week for more than a year.

When done properly, massage can relax, soothe and loosen strained back muscle and give relief from pain.

Massage also improves circulation and helps in calming your nervous system

# 3 Sleeping position

Changing my sleeping position helped me a lot. I liked sleeping on my stomach and this usually made me wake up in the middle of the night in pain. When you sleep on your back it may flatten the way your spine curves naturally and put extra pressure on your back muscle resulting in back pain

I tried sleeping on my side and felt better. My fitness coach told me to put a pillow between my knees when sleeping nm my side. It made me feel much better than just sleeping on my side did.

 

# 4 No heavy lifting

I stopped lifting objects that were heavier than 3kg from the ground. Bending to lift weights most times overstretches the back muscle because it is not done incorrectly

 

# 5 Navel level work tops.

Cooking is an activity most women engage in everyday which can be punishing to the back. It needs a lot of standing, bending, twisting, and cutting which can also put strain on your neck and back.

What I did

My kitchen working tops were made to be almost the same level as my navel. This drastically reduced the pressure on my back from bending. Most of the things I used regularly in the kitchen were put in a wall kitchen unit. Of course I did the pelvic thing I talked about in # 1 whenever I am standing up including when I am cutting veggies or turning food.

I also have a high a chair that I can use when I wanted so that I can give my back a break from time to time while working in the kitchen.

# 6 Pillow behind my back

 

Sitting down for extended period whether in the office or while watching TV can cause stress to your back muscle. Add slouching to that and you have a perfect recipe for back pain.

I always make sure that my chair has enough support for my back. When it does not, I provide support. I do this by putting pillows behind my back when I am sitting down.

Anytime you sit down, maintain a good posture. It does not matter where you are. Don’t sit up in public and slouch in the privacy of your home. Maintain good sitting posture and back support at all times whenever you can.

Putting a pillow behind your back will give your back support and help you to maintain the right posture.

 

These are the steps that I took and it worked for me. I also practiced yoga and stretch that relieved back pain.

Even though I no longer experience back pain, I have made these actions part of my lifestyle. I do back strengthening exercises that will keep my back muscle healthy and in shape.

Another thing you may need to do is to realize that you may need help in your home sometimes. As a woman times you may need help in the house. It does not make you weak or less of a woman. When you can afford to do so, engage someone to help you in the house so your back can heal.

In my next post, I will be showing you the yoga poses that is meant for back pain.

But you can start your personal back care by doing the things I mentioned above and let me know how you get on.

Bellisima Fitness and Health Studio provide massage services and a fitness program for people with back pain. Visit Bellisima Fitness and Health Studio or use the contact form on the menu  and i will get back to you.

 

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