Some amount of back pain in daily life is normal. But when it goes out of hand, you will need to consult a doctor pronto.
The rush of daily life leaves us with little time to put our feet up and recuperate. You are so caught up with deadlines, working on last minute presentations, travelling extensively for work and making a living that you have hardly any time left to rest and regroup your energies.
This kind of hectic lifestyle has a harrowing effect on your back and major joints of the body. Without you realising it, the back takes most of the load during the day, balancing your weight and the stresses that accompany all the different activities of your day. At the end of the day, it begins to feel stiff and slightly sore. But the pain is gone after a night’s rest.
This kind of stress-induced back pain is considered normal, provided your back is not subjected to prolonged periods of hectic work without rest. The problem starts when the pain becomes chronic, forcing you to lay low even on days when you are well rested. Constant back pain can force you to alter your lifestyle and even cut down on your work. In the worst cases, it can force you to take to your bed because movement is so difficult!
What to do with chronic back pain
* Examine the cause. If your back pain is the result of an injury, or blunt trauma of some kind, then rest and applying a good back pain cream can help. You might have pulled a muscle during exercise, or strained the back while lifting a heavy object off the ground. Letting the back recover can often have you up and about in a few days.
* Take away the stressor. If you are aware of the exact cause of stress that causes back pain, eliminate it entirely. If travelling in crowded public transport causes pain, carpool to work or drive your own car. If long nights cause stiffness in the joints, reduce your workload or try reaching work early so that you can finish earlier. Prolonged exposure to the stressor can result in chronic pain that is difficult to treat over the long run.
* Exercise it. It might seem counterproductive to work a painful back with more activity, but structured activity like certain back yoga exercises, or light strength and cardio training, might actually relieve stiffness and remove pain. Enlist the help of a professional trainer to understand which exercises are good for your back and which need to be avoided. The more you work out (start off gradually), the more your back pain will ease up and disappear.
* See your doctor. Despite adequate rest, using pain relief creams and doing everything you can to relieve the pain, if your back is still painful and making it increasingly difficult to lead a normal life, then you need to see a doctor. You could be suffering from an internal injury, or degenerative bone disease that causes constant pain. Therapy and medication should solve the problem.
