Back Pain When Twisting And How To Manage It

Back pain is a common health condition and affects most of us at some stage in our lives. We experience back pain for all sorts of reasons.

Common causes of back pain include injuries, aging and medical conditions. On occasion, back pain is triggered by action and movement. For instance, twisting movements can trigger back pain.

Twisting puts stress on muscles, ligaments. Joints and the discs in your spine. If you look at the twisting movement, you quickly realise twisting affects the lower spine. This can lead to pain in the lower back

Fortunately, there are ways in which you can lower the risk of lower back pain when twisting.

Avoid Twisting With Back Pain

In a perfect world, it is best to avoid twisting as much as possible. However, this is easier said than done. We often perform twisting movements without thinking. It can be something as simple as loading our shopping bags in our car.

Ideally, you should turn your body and move your hips and feet first. But, as we are all human, it is not always easy to remember to do this.

Maintain Correct Posture

Posture plays an essential role when it comes to reducing the risk of lower back pain when twisting. Poor posture is a main contributing factor to back pain.

In the long run poor posture weakens your spine and your core muscles. Not only do we sit down too much and in the wrong position, a lumbar support can help if you experience back pain when sitting, but many of us stand in the wrong position as well.

When standing, try to make sure you keep your head up, shoulders back, your tummy tucked in and your chest out. If you have to sit down for an extended period of time, use a chair with ergonomic back support and take frequent breaks. Do your best to avoid slouching.

Lifting Properly With Back Pain 

From an early age, you have probably been told that lifting heavy objects can lead to injury. Learning how to lift properly is not easy.

To avoid injury when lifting, make sure you bend your knees while keeping your back straight. Try holding the object you are lifting as close to your body as possible. Rather than using your back to lift, try using your legs instead.

If you are still finding lifting the object challenging, you should ask for help or mechanical assistance.

Hot and Cold Treatment

One of the best ways to relieve your back pain is applying hot and cold treatments. There are numerous packs you can buy that will help you to do this.

Hot and cold therapies are a great aid when it comes to reducing inflammation. Normally, it takes up to 48 hours to bring the pain under control. The pain you are experiencing is a result of inflammation.

To reduce pain in your back, apply cold or hot treatment alternatively for 15 minutes at a time. Most individuals prefer to start with 15 minutes of warm therapy and then switch to 15 minutes of cold therapy.

It is best not to apply hot and cold directly to the skin. Place a towel over the affected area and then alternatively apply the hot or cold packs.

Anti-Inflammatory Remedies

There are both natural and conventional anti-inflammatory treatments you can buy. Ibrufen is perhaps the most common anti-inflammatory treatment recommended by doctors.

If you prefer the alternative route, you should try using Arnica. This is available as an oral and topical remedy. It is a tried and tested method that works very well.

Should I Rest When I Experience Back Pain When Twisting?

Although it is recommended that you get some rest, it is important not to overdo resting periods. When you experience back pain, getting active is just as important.

That does not mean you should go jogging. Gentle exercises including yoga and tai-chi are perhaps the best ones. Both can help to reduce pressure on the lumbar spine and free up any sore tendons and muscles.

If you would like to take part in aerobic exercise while experiencing back pain, it is a good idea to go swimming. It is perhaps best not to engage in the more energetic strokes such as crawling. Doing the breaststroke is a good option when you are experiencing back pain.

Let the natural buoyancy of the water lift you up. Gently do the breaststroke. If you experience pain, try working against it but if it hurts too much, you should stop.

Should You See A Doctor?

If your back pain does not improve in a couple of days, you should see a doctor. He may send you for a scan to make sure that you have not damaged any of the discs in your back.

Lower back pain can be a sign of sciatica. In that case, you may need to see a specialist and physiotherapist. Sciatica caused by a trauma injury often goes away in a matter of days when treated correctly.

Preventing Back Pain When Twisting

Most importantly, it is important to prevent back pain. If you have a job or profession that involves twisting and lifting, you should wear a support when you are working.

There are numerous supports available. Thanks to new innovative manufacturing methods, most supports are non-intrusive. That means you can wear them under your clothes.

Back supports are useful when you want to rest your back. Having support available when you lie or sit down does not do any harm at all. As a matter of fact, using a support in a resting position is a great way of taking stress off your back.

Conclusion

Experiencing back pain when twisting is a frustrating experience. It is important to focus on good posture, but the best of us neglect to check our posture on occasion. If you do experience back pain, don’t ignore it. The sooner you do something about your back pain, the quicker you can get back to normal life. 

Brought to you by Your Back Pain Relief