If you’ve ever had back pain, you’re not alone. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s population will experience it at some point in their lives. It is also the leading cause of disability around the world.
While you can go to a traditional doctor for treatment, you can also find other ways to help your pain. Several alternative treatments exist that can resolve or reduce pain without surgery or needing prescription medications.
Chiropractic Care
Probably the most common alternative treatment for back pain is seeing a chiropractor for an adjustment. In some cases, nerves in the neck or back can become pinched, or dislocations of the spine or joints can occur, causing back and joint pain, and headaches.
After using an x-ray to find the problem areas, a licensed chiropractor will gently manipulate your body to replace dislocations or free nerves that are sending pain signals to the brain.
The adjustments usually do not hurt, and they can be done as often as necessary to ease a patient’s pain.
Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique can help people who are experiencing back pain, stiffness in their neck and shoulders, or discomfort when they sit for long periods of time, such as at their desk at work.
The technique involves being more aware of how they move, sit, or perform daily activities to prevent injuries and pain.
Since bad posture and improper movements can cause muscle tension, pain, and sometimes immobility, instructors teach people to correct their habits to prevent problems.
Decompressing the Spine
Back pain has many causes, including herniated discs, pinched nerves, and degenerative disc disease. A form of traction therapy known as spinal decompression therapy may be able to reduce pain from these types of disc problems.
Decompressing the spine can help reposition discs that have herniated or are bulging. It also allows nutrients and spinal fluids to freely flow through the back’s structures, including discs, to heal and make them healthier.
Practicing Tai Chi
Doing exercises can reduce back pain and help sufferers continue to be active.
Along with endorphins that can temporarily reduce pain, exercise can strengthen the muscles around the skeleton to provide more support and take the pressure off joints and problems causing back pain.
Tai Chi is a martial art that involves gentle movements that anyone of any age can practice. Along with reducing pain, it can improve balance, flexibility, and some studies have found it can reduce blood pressure.
Hydrotherapy
If you’ve ever had back pain and felt better after soaking in a hot bath or hot tub, it isn’t just in your mind. Hydrotherapy can involve soaking in a hot or cold bath, taking a sauna, or applying wet compresses to the areas that hurt to reduce inflammation and pain.
Hydrotherapy pool exercises can be very beneficial for someone who has back pain. Exercising in water provides little resistance, and it is very low-impact, so your joints won?t hurt. It takes place in warm water, so a heated pool, with guidance from a physical therapist.
While traditional treatments are the most common type, people who want to avoid surgery or taking pain medications for a bad back can seek out alternative therapies. These five therapies and the many others that exist can treat back pain naturally.
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