How To Relieve Lower Back Pain Without Medication

If there is one thing I want to do in 2013, it to learn how to relieve lower back pain without medication.  I injured my back 2 years ago while in nursing school. Since that time, I have been on more medications, been to more doctors and been on bed rest more times than I care to count.  I am just done, ya know?  I almost feel as if my life for the past 24 months has been about pain, and I am over it!!  So..I decided to take matters into my own hands (I know, took me long enough, huh?!) and find alternatives to the drugs to ease my pain.  Here are some great suggestions and I wanted to share them with you.

How To Relieve Lower Back Pain

• Get Permission: Before you do anything, check with your doctor if there are any restrictions you need to follow.  Most likely your doctor will tell you not to lift more than 10 pounds, no jerky movements, lift from the core, not with your back and so on.  Once you know what you can and cannot do, you are then able to map out your next steps.
• Stretch: One of the things that cause me the most pain is the muscle spasms I get.  One way to reduce the number and severity of these spasms is to stretch those muscles.  If you are in physical therapy, ask what stretches would help you most.
• Relax: As hard as it can be for many of us, we need to learn to relax ya’ll!!  Take 15 minutes 3 times a day and just breathe and relax all those tense muscles of yours.  Start at the top and work your way down the body until you feel refreshed and ready for the next round!
• Build That Core: If you have ever had back pain, you have heard it before; a strong core is a strong back!  So much of what we do connects us to our back, so we need to treat it with respect.  You need to get some resistance and core training and get your core where it needs to be.  Pilates is a fantastic way to build your core properly.
• Acupressure: I know many of you may be scratching your heads, but trust me, acupressure is a good thing!  Acupressure is a combination of the words acupuncture, a well-known form of Chinese medicine and pressure.  When certain points of the body have pressure applied, an increased blood flow begins and energy is restored.  When these happen together, research has shown the effects can relieve and prevent certain ailments of the body.  How do I do this you ask? The Yantra Way of course!!  The Yantra Mat, a device developed to bring acupressure into the home, work place, yoga studio or anywhere you like.

Using Acupressure Mats

I wasn’t sure about using acupressure mats to relieve my lower back pain, but I was willing to give it a try.  I must admit, when I opened my Yantra Mat, I thought it was very cool and very different looking, to say the least!  The large Yantra Mat ($59.00) I received has 275 small 100% ABS plastic discs, which when applied, gives 11,550 pressure points for you.  I will tell you the truth, when you first lay on the mat, it feels a bit odd but that goes away shortly.  For me, I could really feel the blood vessels opening and flowing and my body was tingling all over.  As instructed, I only laid on it for 10 minutes, and I felt completely energized and refreshed after.  I was also given the Yantra Kit ($39.00), which I would highly recommend because it enables you to take your Yantra to go!  The kit has an acupressure belt, pillow and two rings, which I must say are very cool for fingers that type a lot!  The belt is awesome, especially for my lower back.  It just ties around your waist, or wherever you need to place it, and you get a mini version of the large mat.  I am not saying my back is 100% cured, but I must admit, the pain is less and the spasms are not coming as frequently or as strongly as before.

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