First aid for acute back pain!
As a successful chiropractor, I want to help you make the right decisions when choosing back pain treatment. There are several mistakes that people make when they have back pain and the main mistakes are: using heat on the back and exercising with pain. Current research and our experience in the management and treatment of back and neck pain show that these two mistakes are both very common and very wrong.
First of all, DO NOT APPLY HEAT to the column. Your back is inflamed and applying heat will increase the swelling and pain. If you apply ice to your back, you reduce inflammation and pain. Be sure to wrap it in a thin cloth, otherwise you could burn your skin with the ice. It will only feel cold for about 2-5 minutes, then the pain will begin to numb. You can do it every 2 hours for 10-20 minutes.
When using ice, get a gel ice pack. It’s smooth when frozen, has a good surface, and doesn’t slide down your pants when melted. You can pick one up at almost any pharmacy or buy online.
Icing your back feels very cold, of course, but within 2-3 minutes you stop feeling cold, because your nerves go numb. We recommend applying ice to the spine and it is safe to do so every 2 hours for 10 to 20 minutes. Although heat can sometimes be beneficial with non-acute chronic pain, we rarely recommend it due to the high risk of making the pain worse.
We are so surprised at the clinic that some people still apply heat to their backs; sometimes it provides short-term relief and causes long-term damage. Please do not take hot baths, when your back is not at its best, prolonged uncomfortable position and heat can trigger inflammation and pain. Bed rest is also not recommended. Try to stay as active as possible, of course without causing more pain.
Don’t wear support belts for days, because they weaken your back and make things worse in the long run. They are made to support your back after severe trauma and for heavy lifting only. The same advice is also valid for neck pain. Only wear a collar if you’ve had neck trauma, and use ice on the back of your neck.
Please don’t exercise when you are in pain! Some people exercise and even ignore the pain, thinking it will “go away.” The pain will only subside as the body heals, so let it heal. Exercise is a strain on the body and adds to the damage. However, exercise is extremely beneficial when taken in the correct phase of attention. But NOT when you are in pain.
If the pain is really bad, your doctor will give you anti-inflammatory tablets. Some patients are not aware that taking “one or two” tablets almost never works. Read the instructions and remember that in order to reach the inflamed joints, this substance must accumulate in the body for a few days and must be taken in sufficient quantity for it to work. As with everything else, you need a COURSE OF TREATMENT.
