How long have you been fighting back pain? How many different treatments have you tried? Unfortunately, many people get sold treatments that don’t tend to help in the long term. Keep reading to learn how to relieve your lower back pain at home – no chiropractor, physiotherapy or medications needed.
Contents
- Common causes of lower back pain
- Stretching & mobilization
- Strengthening tips
- Lifestyle adjustments
- Warning signs
Disclaimer:
You should consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new physical activity. This article is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace an assessment, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified professional. Note; no doctor patient relationship has been formed.
Common Causes of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can be caused by a number of different issues. Typically muscle strains or ligament sprains will be the cause during an episode of acute lower back pain. With longer lasting issues, the source of pain is most likely an intervertebral disc, with facet or sacroiliac joint disorders being other likely causes.
Regardless of the structure causing the pain, it is important to think about back pain more holistically than “damaged structure = pain”. This type of thinking is what makes most people, including many healthcare providers, think that rest is the cure for their pain. Because rest allows healing right?
Yes, but most of the time, there is not as much tissue damage as it probably feels like, and you do not need to stop doing everything to heal either.
Especially with chronic lower back pain, exercise and activity has been demonstrated ad nauseum to improve pain and function. Resting too much can actually perpetuate the issue too, or even cause an acute problem to turn chronic.
What you should focus on is modifying, or maybe taking a break from the movements or activities that caused the pain or injury, then gradually reintroducing them as things improve.
The LBPfix program is filled with modifications for common instigating movement and postures, and has exercises to get you back to doing all the things you want to do, with confidence! Click here to learn more about the program.
The 3 Strategies to Fix Lower Back Pain at Home
Stretching and mobilization
Stretching and mobilization can be helpful for reducing pain in some cases. They can also be helpful for improving function in the long term if lack of flexibility is a contributing factor. It is possible to make pain worse by stretching too, especially in the case of nerve pain like sciatica. It is important to start easy and then you can progress gradually as long as you are responding well.
For lower back pain, the most useful stretches and mobilizations are for the hips, and to some extent the upper back. If we can improve hip mobility, then we can decrease the amount of spinal movement necessary for things like bending or lifting. This will be most helpful in the initial phases when we are just trying to reduce irritation.
The LBPfix program has hip and upper back mobilizations built in, depending on what movements you are struggling with. Click here to learn more about the program.
Strengthening tips
Strength training is an extremely important part of the rehabilitation process, but it is equally important for preventing future injuries too. The most important concept to focus on with strength training is consistency. Consistency of execution, but also consistently striving for and making progress.
The starting point will depend on your current abilities. Starting too easy is never a bad idea. It will decrease the chances of irritation, but also allow you to make progress for longer. Start easy, maybe with some simple isometric exercise for the abdominal muscles and some bodyweight squats and lunges.
Then you can increase the difficulty gradually by increasing the time you hold, the reps per set or the total number of sets per exercise. Eventually you will need to do tougher exercises and add external resistance to keep getting stronger, but just getting started is the most important part.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Sitting at your desk, lifting your kids or lifting things at work. These are some of the most common causes of lower back pain. If your daily activities are causing you pain, you will have to make some adjustments. Maybe just for a short while, but maybe more permanently. Changing your postures and movement patterns are probably the simplest ways.
For example, if you sit at work and that is causing your lower back to hurt, you could start by using extra lumbar support to take some of the stress off your lower back. If possible, alternating sitting with standing is an even better option.
Other lifestyle factors that are very important for recovery are sleep, nutrition, and overall stress burden. Do your best to get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep. This might mean turning the TV off 30-60 mins earlier, and not having that beer after work. It is not as fun in the short term, but if you want to be healthy and recover quickly, those are the things you should do. If you sleep better, everything else will be better and easier, it is that simple.
This is not the place for a full deep dive into nutrition, but suffice it to say that eating healthy is very important, and deep down almost everyone knows what foods are healthy. Fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes. Be consistent, not perfect.
Lastly, if you are feeling very stressed, anxious, or depressed, that can have direct and indirect effects on pain (usually for the worse). If you need help, seek out a qualified professional counsellor or therapist. Otherwise, doing things you enjoy, with people that you enjoy spending time with is a great place to start.
Warning Signs
These signs and symptoms – also known as red flags are a cause for concern. If you have any of these, you should seek medical evaluation immediately:
- Progressive loss of strength in your hips and/or legs
- Numbness/tingling in the genital/anal region
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- redness/swelling over spine
In addition to these red flags, it is a good idea to go see a healthcare professional for lower back pain if you also have significant health issues like cancer, kidney disease, inflammatory arthritis, or if you use intravenous drugs.
Our Framework: How LBPfix Can Help
1. Identify Your Pain Driver: We classify your pain into one of four movement intolerance types
2. Prescribe the Right Movement Strategy: Once we know your pain type, we match it with corrective movements
3. Build Long-Term Resilience: As pain settles, we help you:
Move confidently without flaring up
Rebuild core control and lifting mechanics
Return to work, sport, or life without setbacks
Ready to Fix Your Low Back Pain?
Take our 2-minute quiz to find out if you’re a good candidate to our program – no strings attached!
