Pain is the body’s way of letting you know that something’s wrong. Pain involves a complex neurological pathway that senses an unpleasant stimulus that is designed to get you to avoid the painful behavior. When it comes to spinal pain, you can give your body a break by listening to important clues. Here are some tips for listening to your back when it’s in pain:
- If doing something hurts and you can avoid it, don’t do it. The activity is putting a strain on injured muscles, joints or disc and may aggravate an existing injury.
- If your muscles feel tight, moving forcefully in a certain way can injure a muscle that is in spasm. This is called a strain and can worsen your overall pain level. While continued motion and activity is good and prevents further spasm, it should be done gently and in moderation.
- If a gentle stretch inducing motion makes you feel looser, or in less spasm, listen to your body and continue to do that motion. This is the philosophy behind many stretching exercises.
- Not every exercise works for everyone. Avoid exercises that cause pain. “No pain, no gain” has no place in spine care.
- If your body senses pain shooting down your arm or leg with an activity, be especially vigilant. This is a sign that you are pinching a nerve.
- If it hurts when you sleep, try another position. Sleeping on your side with a pillow that keeps your neck aligned with your shoulders and with a pillow between your knees to keep your hips and spine in proper alignment is a good idea.
- Continued pain after a few weeks is a sign that something more serious may be going on. You need to see a doctor.
