While working at the Pain Management Center I’ve often found patients enquiring after Lower Back Pain Relief Equipment that can give their aching backs the relief they deserve!
Just like an average American, I too have suffered a great deal from this common malady, and needless to say, I never really coped with living with it. It has been more than a decade since I have committed myself to find the different ways to cure it. However, even then, I can say that finding a final and sure-shot way to completely do away with this condition has been more than a challenge to me.
Even so, I have endeavored to share my experience ( some personal tips as well) with you, with a hope that you will find my effort helpful.
Lower back pain relief furniture
A number of Lower back pain furniture is available these days, but finding the right thing for your needs can be more than challenging. But who knows, perhaps any one of the following gadgets could be just the thing that you need to reduce back pain.
Recliner
Undoubtedly, it is one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture for those who have been suffering from chronic back pain for long. When you are in a reclined position, you are likely to keep your feet up. This definitely helps in uniform weight distribution, and needless to say, by utilizing these chairs, you can eliminate the chances of heaving excessive pressure on a specific spot.
Massage Chairs
If you want to offer some relaxing massage to your back muscles, then having a quality massage chair is the way to go. These chairs highly vary in types, design and price range. So if you decide to buy one of them, make sure that you get the best thing for your budget.
Bed
You may find it a strange fact, but choosing the right mattress for your bed can actually help you to do away with back pain. Though many consumers as well as doctors take firm mattress to be ideal for back pain relief, recent researches seem to vary a little from the notion. On the contrary, a foam mattress can support your body. Hence, there will be no pressure points like the ones you are likely to have with a conventional innerspring mattress.
Zero Gravity Chair
Basically, these chairs help you to be in a reclined position. Along with the movement of your body, these chairs can swing up and down. So the chairs actually make you feel that you are not affected by the force of gravity and thus, you will hardly feel any pressure points as you sit in this furniture. However, a zero gravity chair should be cautiously adjusted, if you want it to be most effective.
Inversion Table
With this machine, you need to fasten yourself on the table and after that it allows you to swing yourself in an upside down manner. The logic behind this arrangement is that it rectifies your spine alignment and thus, aids to improve posture and eases severe back pain.
Lower back pain relief exercise equipment
The most common cause of lower back pain is muscle or soft tissue damage that results in strain or sprain. Backaches do occur when the lower back muscles get overstretched or torn. However, the number of ways to treat lower back pain is as innumerable as the number of people suffering from it. The different methods include everything from medical surgery, abdominal and core muscle strengthening workouts, yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, acupressure, medication and even Chiropathy.
I have found that regular workout has really been very beneficial for the health of my spine. Workouts that specifically targeted hip and leg muscles actually helped me to alleviate the pressure on the back muscles and thus, they helped me to maintain a better posture. Also, following the recommendations of my personal trainer, I invested on certain gym training equipments. Each of them was equally functional in their own way and I guess, they actually helped to accelerate my recovery.
However, before you start exercising under professional supervision, there are certain things that you should keep in mind while exercising for lower back pain. Some of them are:
Lower back pain clothing and other precautions
While you exercise, you should take care that:
- The clothes you wear should be comfortable enough.
- You should stretch on a flat, clean and spacious surface.
- You should not force your body to stretch into hard positions.
Back brace
If you are suffering from joint sprain, lower back sprain or lower back strain for long, then you can think of having back braces, which are usually used to help a wide range of low back pain conditions.
Usually, patients with lower back pain are often advised to avoid heavy tasks. However, if accomplishing them becomes unavoidable, then back braces can be used to have optimum support and stability to reduce the chances of aggravation of injury, which are likely to take place with the performance of these activities. However, if even after wearing it you feel an increase of the indications, then you should discontinue using it.
Lumbo-sacral support
Using a Lumbo-sacral support system is a simple, affordable, user friendly way to help your lumbar spine. Anyone with lower back pain can be benefited by it. The device is manufactured to give optimal lumbar support and stability to the lower back, and a very special thing about their designs is that, these back support systems come with two extra side pulls, that allow for a better fitting and adjustment of tension.
Lumbar support rolls
The Lumbar support rolls aid to align (and support) posture, especially when you drive or do some desk-work at workplace.
You can even think of using pillows that have been manufactured to soothe lower back pain. They highly vary in shape, size, material and price range. Just have a quick look at them.
- Lumbar Pillow: Otherwise known as lower back support pillows, the wedge-shaped pillows are typically placed under the lower back to support, and reduce the unnecessary strain on the back. You can use them when you are flying for long hours or going for a long drive.
- Donut Pillows: As the name implies, these donut shaped pillows are meant to be kept on the seat portion of your chair. These pillows have a “hole” or dip in the center. As a result, users can sit with minimal pressure on the tailbone.
- Leg Pillow: These pillows keep the legs, feet and ankles at a raised position. So, using it, you can stretch your back and loosen up your muscles.
Arched Back Stretcher
Now the question that actually arises here is, WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT? Well, you have more than one reason to utilize a back stretcher. Have a look at its benefits.
- It can help to stretch muscular tissues to boost elasticity. Once the tissues get flexible, you can execute various tasks without any feeling of pain.
- A stretcher is supposed to make a person look lengthier and slimmer and thus, it can promote a healthier posture.
- It helps to reduce the stiffness in the upper and lower parts of back.
The Different Exercising Equipments
Now let me tell you about the exercising equipments that you can look up.
- The inversion table has become a great stress buster. In addition to that, it even helps to control the strain you place on spine and back, especially when you’re at office.
- I personally have even enjoyed a very comfortable, professional quality massage with the foam roller. All I needed to do was roll over it gently, and that was all about it.
- I also utilized an exercise ball as a support at the time when I began to exercise. It helped a great deal to build up some strength.
- The braces I bought for the neck and low back helped me decrease movement and give some extra support to the affected areas.
What To Look For While Buying Equipments
Obviously, whatever comes as“fitness equipment” should not be bought in blind faith. So before you buy your machines, set your own buying criteria. My buying parameters were:
As for the inversion tables, I meticulously checked out the construction and quality of some leading brands and decided on what I thought to be the best for my budget.
I chose a proper sized exercise ball to avoid injury.
I only went for the machines which target those groups of muscles that actually help to beef up back muscle.
Make sure the machines you buy come with soft and thick padding.
Some Other Things That May Come Handy
If you are not too enthusiastic about taking regular medicines to treat your back pain, there’s a few other things you can try to give you lower back pain relief:
- Hot and Cold compression: You can arrange for some hot and cold compression system at home. You should know that moist heat aids to improve the inflammation and muscle cramp which is chiefly caused by strain. In general, experts suggest applying cold packs to the affected area within the initial 48 hours and then only after that, heat should be applied.
- Ultrasound: This mode of treatment can be used to deliver some heat to the deep tissues.
- Capsaicin Cream: Capsaicin, abundantly found in chilli peppers has been found to have come with properties that alleviate pain.
You can say that lower back pain relief equipments are available in various shapes and sizes. Apart from the different equipments mentioned here, you can even try some water exercises or hydrotherapy if you cannot endure weight bearing workouts. Otherwise, you can even do some crunches with a medicine ball at the upper back as a starting position. Remember, no back pain is same so there is no common panacea to cure all of them. Whether you have chronic back pain or acute, you will have to make the right choice from the numerous back exercising machines which are readily available in the market, as well as in the online stores. You can decide on any one of them, but make sure you do a thorough research on the product you intend to buy – especially as some of them aren’t exactly cheap! The use of the right equiment as well as a professional direction will surely help you to turn your “back” on the pain.
