Back pain - should I rest or move?
Back pain can be a little niggle, or unendurable agony, though it’s usually somewhere in between.
Knowing when to rest and when to move can cut your recovery time by weeks.
A good general rule to follow, is to move little and often, as much as you can without causing too much pain.
For most back conditions, including facet strain, disc pain, sciatica, pinched nerve and muscle spasm, a short, 5 minute walk on flat ground will help to ease it off a little, and the last thing you want to do is stay rigidly immobile for several hours. You need to keep the blood moving around the muscles and joints, so try applying a heat pack or heat rub, or alternating heat and ice for 10 minutes each time. Never apply ice to a back injury for more than 20 minutes.
If you are experiencing paralysis of the legs, extreme weakness, or difficulty passing bowel or bladder movements, you should attend the emergency department at your nearest hopsital, as this needs to be looked at under MRI very quickly.
If your back injury occurred as a result of a specific movement that caused a lot of pain, try applying arnica cream to the area of pain, as this can help reduce the swelling and speed up the healing process.
If your pain doesn’t ease significantly within a few hours, book in for a treatment ASAP. Emergency out-of-hours appointments are available at Warrnambool Osteo Clinic from Mon-Sat, by calling 0483 802 208, if you’re unable to find a time online that suits. These appointments are saved for people in urgent pain, so please only use them when you are suffering.
Book Online with Dr Anna Brown
Osteopath Warrnambool
Back pain treatment
