First Aid for Back Pain

Many would argue that back pain is inevitable and for some it becomes a sudden reality. Bending over to pick up a piece of paper, moving furniture, or reaching for something in the car's back seat; one of these scenarios may sound familiar to you. At home or at work, you need to know what to do when a sudden attack of back pain occurs. Fortunately, most back pain will get better naturally. But in order to improve your chances of recovery and to save yourself a trip to your doctor's office, you need to learn some first aid for back pain.

Those of you familiar with life-saving first aid remember the ABC's (Airway, Breathing, and Circulation). Let's apply the ABC's to your back; "A" for arrest the offending activity, "B" for balance the pressure, "C" for control the inflammation. With the ABC's for sudden back pain, you can quickly recover from a sudden back pain attack.

Arrest

Let's go back to the scenarios: bending, lifting, and twisting (the BLT's). All of these activities can trigger back pain. Now, it makes no sense to keep pulling that trigger when your body is screaming "ENOUGH!" Sometimes you become so focused on finishing a task that you push past the discomfort. When you are in pain, you need to focus on some first aid for pain.

Start with "A" and arrest the activity that is causing the pain. In other words, take a break and let your body recover. Remember, most back pain goes away naturally, unless you continue to push beyond what you can physically tolerate. As a general rule, give your back a 24 hour period of recovery before attempting to gradually resume your BLT's. Recovery does not mean bed rest; therefore, stay as active as possible. Recovery is not doing the laundry, lifting boxes, and pulling weeds in the yard. Those all require too much bending, lifting and twisting. Try life at half speed without BLT's until your back feels better. "Arrest" is the first step for quick relief.

Balance

What else should you do while you have halted the painful activity? Now, it is time for "B"-balance the pressure. Most sudden back pain attacks are caused by the discs which, like balloons or tires, are sensitive to pressure. Sudden loads of abnormal pressure by bending, lifting, or twisting leads to back pain. The best way to balance the pressure is by unloading the spine with comfortable positions. The fetal position (lying on your side with your knees pulled toward your chest) relieves pressure in your back. You can also relieve pressure by lying face down on a bed, exercise ball, or high counter top so that your chest and tummy are supported and your legs are dangling towards the ground. Try this for 20 minutes every 2 hours for the first 24 hours and then three times daily until the pain goes away.  

Ultimately, the sudden load that caused your back pain needs to be balanced out with a pressure relieving activity. In fact, unloading your back throughout the day helps to prevent sudden relapses of pain. You cannot load, load, load your lumbar discs all day long without unloading once and a while. That unbalanced lifestyle is like making withdrawals from your bank account without making deposits. Eventually, your bank account (your back) runs out of money. Balancing your "back account" not only helps you at the first sign of trouble, but also keeps you out of trouble.