You’ve had on again-off again pain for years and you’re doing pretty well, but all of a sudden you have a flare up. What’s the best way to get through it?
- First of all, you are not alone. A recurrence occurs within a year in one third to half of people with a history of significant back pain.
- Take a break from physical exertion or activities like working out. It’s OK to let your body heal and get strong again.
- Make sure you give your low back a break at work. If you are in a chair all, day get up every 20 minutes and walk around or stretch. You might even consider working from a counter top.
- If your neck hurts, avoid a lot of texting.
- If your neck hurts at work, adjust your computer monitor so that your head is in a neutral position while you are working, not flexed looking down at the monitor.
- Stay mobile. Lying in bed all day will worsen your back spasm.
- Try some light stretches to relieve spasm.
- Stretching is more effective after a hot shower. A hot shower will warm up your muscles and relieve spasm.
- Try taking some over the counter anti-inflammatory medications like Aleve, Advil or Naprosyn. These medications will help treat the cause of the flare up as well as the pain.
- Add Tylenol for extra pain relief.
- Lastly, a flare up of pain associated with extremity weakness, incontinence, fever or an unexpected weight loss may be a sign of something serious. See your doctor if you have these signs.
