Back pain occurs due to stress or strain on the back.
Strain on the spine can occur due to many reasons like:
- Poor posture
- Standing/sitting down for long intervals.
- Lack of exercise
- Lifting or pushing heavy loads
Most sudden back pain is due to a sprain or a small tear in a muscle or ligament. Having a nagging ache in lower back or a sharp, localized pain and stiffness is due to a muscle spasm in the area. The usual causes of back pain and sciatica include lifting awkwardly or sudden twisting, but factors such as poor posture, pregnancy, and being inactive or unfit may make the back more vulnerable.
Methods to prevent Backache:
- Keep a check on your sitting, standing and stretching postures.
- If you need to pick up some object, lower your body to the level of the object by bending the knees. Pick up the item, hold it close to the body, and raise yourself with your legs while keeping your back straight.
(Never bend at the waist level) - Lean against a wall or pillar while waiting for a bus or standing in line at the bank.
- Avoid lifting heavy objects.
- If possible, keep footstools in the house. Alternatively support one leg on stool while doing standing chores.
- Sleep on a hard mattress.
- Avoid high-heeled shoes.
- Standing straight is good for back.
- When you sit for long hours, rest your feet on a low stool so that knees are above hips.
- Do not sit or stand in same position for a very long time. Get up periodically and walk for a while.
- Overweight also causes backpain. Do regular exercises to reduce your weight.
- Go for long walks. Incase of a troubling back, walk slowly.
- Choose a pillow that keeps your head and neck in line with your upper back.
Some Home remedies to cure back ache:
- Include garlic in you diet daily.
- Boil 10-12 basil ( tulsi ) leaves in a cup of water (till the volume of water becomes half). After cooling drink this water once in a day.
- Apply a cold pack (bag of ice) to the painful area for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Apply at least three times a day.
- Take two or three cloves of garlic every morning.
- Apply a paste made of ginger powder mixed with sufficient water to the affected area. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, wash it off, and then rub the back with some eucalyptus (Nilgiri) oil.
- Application of raw potato in the form of a poultice is very effective, especially in a low backache.
- Rubbing the painful area of the back with garlic oil is also effective for relieving the pain. The oil is prepared by frying 10 cloves of garlic in 60 ml of mustard oil or sesame oil on a slow fire till the garlic turn brown. Then, the cooled oil should be applied vigorously on the back, and allowed to remain there for 2 or 3 hours. Take a warm bath afterwards. It should be done for at least 15 days.
- Yoga should be included in your routine. Asanas like: Tadasan Samasthiti, Tadasan Urdhv Hasthasan are good to cure backpain.