5 Ways To Combat Lower Back Pain In The Cold New York Winters
Have you been suffering with lower back pain, and have noticed it’s getting worse in the winter?
Is the combination of the colder weather and the overwhelming pain meaning you’re missing out on your daily exercise routine that was supposed to start you on the way back into shape after all the food that keeps showing up on your plate between Thanksgiving and New Year every year?
As the winter months arrive, we know it becomes more difficult to keep up your exercise routine and, therefore, aches and pains feel like they worsen. That’s because they do!
Lower back pain is a very common problem for people over 40, and we understand how painful, even, the simplest tasks like getting up from the couch can be.
A huge percentage of patients visit our office after seeing their GP, where they all get the same advice to take some painkillers and rest.. or even, the dreaded “it’s just a part of getting older and won’t go away, so you should just live with it”.
If you don’t want to rely on painkillers, don’t want to miss out on your favorite activities, and you want to enjoy your life without throbbing back pain, that’s where we can help…
In this Blog, I share the 5 ways to combat lower back pain in winter without relying on painkillers. SO, we will cover why your lower back pain gets worse in winter, the most common causes of lower back pain, simple painkiller-free solutions to ease and cure your lower back pain, and how physical therapy can help eliminate your back pain for good
The Most Common Causes Of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can be caused by a variety of factors, but the most common issues begin with:
Muscle Overuse
Overused muscles often happen due to sustained strain or force, such as lifting heavy shopping bags for long periods of time or even just using them incorrectly for long periods of time. In both instances you will have stiff and tight muscles in your lower back, as a result of the overuse. There will be times of extreme stiffness and times of a “grabbing” sensation in the back as you move and those muscles try to contract appropriately, but are in a stage of fight or flight, so they just go into full spasm for limited period of time.
Lack of exercise
Lack of exercise is a common cause of lower back pain as inactivity weakens the muscles in your back, decreases the ability of the muscles to work together and stiffens due to lack of use.
When you do move around, they begin to ache and become increasingly more painful.
Why Your Lower Back Pain Gets Worse In Winter
You might notice your lower back pain becomes worse in the winter.
Due to the drop in temperature around this time of year, our bodies have to work a little harder to stay warm, thus diverting blood and energy away from the muscles in the lower back.
When exposed to the cold, our muscles naturally tense to become tighter which can cause aches and pains to get worse.
Natural Drug-Free Ways To Cure Lower Back Pain In Winter
Maintain Good Posture
A really easy way to prevent your back pain is to keep correcting your posture throughout the day.
Aligning your hips, neck and shoulders can really take unnecessary pressure off your lower back when sitting on the couch or at a desk.
Cold Therapy
If your lower back pain is caused by an overused muscle, you can use cold therapy to soothe and eliminate your pain.
Apply an ice pack to the painful area for 15 minutes. This will create a ‘numbing’ effect. If you are having more severe and re-occuring pain, you can use ice hourly for 15 minutes and leave off for the other 45 minutes of the hour.
By using the ice, you will expel the un-needed blood out of the muscles in your back and allow for the new oxygenated blood to come back in to improve your healing.
Heat Therapy For Chronic Back Pain
If you suffer with chronic lower back pain that has lasted 4 weeks or more, you can, now, try to apply constant low-level heat to the affected area.
You could do this by wrapping a hot water bottle around your waist while you’re resting on the couch or the bed or by using heat patches if you’re out and about. Please make sure that the temperature is not too hot, so you will not burn. It is better to have a lower level of heat for a longer period than a higher level for a shorter period that could create a burn.
Gentle Physical Activity
Gentle physical activity is a fantastic way to not only ease your back pain, but keep up your general fitness too!
Exercises like walking and low-impact aerobics are fantastic for strengthening the muscles in your lower back.
These activities are also great to speed up the healing process and prevent future injury, as well as are a great precursor to more aggressive exercise programs.
Building These Therapies Into Your Routine
We know you may be struggling to stick to your routine as the weather is colder (and the bed keeps calling).
However, building these therapies into your daily routine to help you manage your lower back pain.
A great start is to make sure you have supplies near you at all times. For instance, carry small heat patches with you in a pocket or handbag and/or leave some by your bed side in case you wake up first thing in the morning with a stiff back.
Always try to make time to do some physical activity during your day. Go for a short walk after your breakfast, and do some gentle stretches when you wake up and before you go to sleep. As the weather turns colder, try some indoor exercise such as low-impact aerobics or yoga.
How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Lower Back Pain
If your back pain has been getting worse and you want to cure your back pain rather than simply manage it, physical therapy could be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Our team have worked with thousands of patients suffering with lower back pain just like you and can get you pain-free and moving normally again.
During your treatment, our friendly physical therapists can significantly improve your mobility, the function of your joints, and help you cure lower back pain without painkillers, injections or surgery.
To arrange your free back pain consultation where you can speak to a member of our team, ask any questions that you have, and find out the best treatment options for you.
Arrange your free back pain consultation with our simple webform, or if you prefer to talk about it over the telephone, you can call us at 845-675-8444.
Other Free Resources If you want to read more of our informative blogs, click the link below: Click Here To Read More Of Our Physical Therapy Blog Articles Click Here To Read – Staying Safe While Exercising in The Cold New York Winters? Click Here To Read – 4 Tips to Avoid Back Pain When Traveling
Click Here To Read --Why Does My Back Hurt When I Sit?
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