Most back strains do not require specific treatment, because they usually recover spontaneously in relatively short period of time. There are, however, certain strategies that may help you recover faster and make the process less painful. For full list of detailed recommendations on optimizing your recovery process please follow this link.

Mobility: swimming and walkingOne of the most important things to keep in mind, is that during the acute phase, it is of outmost importance to stay mobile. While short term bed rest may help to relieve some of the pain initially, staying in the bed more than 24-48 hrs leads to worse outcomes and prolongs the recovery time.While becoming more mobile is important, you will need to initially modify your daily routine to avoid high impact activities, lifting heavy objects and twisting movements. The best way start increasing physical activity is walking for few minutes several times a day and eventually transitioning to recreational swimming in a slow pace. Swimming is excellent exercise for recovery from back injuries. It’s weightless nature eliminates gravity and pressure on the spine and takes the muscles and joints through full range of motion. Both activities will keep the muscles engaged without additional strain, and get them slowly ready for more physically demanding exercises.

HeatHeat plays important role in the treatment of back pain. It improves local blood circulation which enables the injured tissue to heal faster while decreasing muscle stiffness and pain. Applying heat to the painful area after the initial 48 hrs from the onset of the injury also helps with stretching. Additionally, heat reduces pain and makes movement easier when getting out of the bed in the morning. Heating pad should not be applied directly on the skin. While it can be used  several times a day, it should never be applied for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Never sleep on your heating pad!!

Stretching, Massage and AcupunctureGentle stretching of the back muscles after using heating pad is important to slowly start elongating the tight muscles. Never push beyond the level of gentle stretch. If stretching is painful, you need to pull back. Gentle massage around the painful area can be very relaxing and soothing. You do not need to spend money on massage therapist, but if you can afford it, this might be a good time to splurge on couple sessions. Getting a simple massage from your partner at least once a day for the first few days can be equally if not more effective. Alternately, you can try self-acupressure using a tennis ball while leaning against the wall and finding the tender spots in your back. Both massage and acupressure help to promote local blood circulation and loosen up the tight muscles which results in increased mobility and less pain. If acupuncture is available to you, getting few treatment sessions can be very helpful to promote relaxation of the tight muscles, increase local blood circulation and decrease pain. For more information about acupuncture please follow this link.

The role of pain medicationWhile pain medication will not help you to recover faster, they can help to make the process more bearable. Motrin, naproxen or Alleve can be used in mild to moderate pain, to take the edge off the pain. Stronger pain medication, prescribed by your provider, may be necessary when pain is more severe. Goals for pain managementIt is very important to understand, that complete pain relief is neither realistic, nor the goal of pain medication or any treatment modality discussed in this article. Pain is a protective mechanism. It makes us start paying attention to our body and prevents us from causing further damage. Additionally, there is no single best remedy. Patience in combination with several treatment strategies placed in the context of a comprehensive treatment protocol, has been shown to lead to the best and fastest recovery. To learn more about complementary therapies, visit National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health