Back pain- Such a common thing amongst each and everyone of us regardless of age, height, weight and gender!
Unfortunately, most of us have experienced some type of back discomfort. Whether it is from training, sitting at a desk all day, a car accident, being on our feet all day (the list goes on), many of us have experienced some type of back spasm or a tight feeling in our back.
A back spasm in particular can happen suddenly and can be extremely uncomfortable and very painful.
What is a Back Spasm?
A back spasm is the involuntary contraction or tensing of the muscles in the lower back which can cause discomfort and some times a great deal of pain.
This involuntary contraction can be caused by inflammation, lifting something heavy at work, playing a game of football or even golf and the muscles that support the spine go into a spasm. This leads to pain and loss of range of movement, which can severely limit your day to day routine.
Sound familiar?
Try One or All of These Natural Pain Remedies to Help Ease Back Pain
#1 – Epsom Salt Bath
We LOVE a good epsom salts bath!! This mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate can help reduce inflammation, which is a key component in helping back spasms calm down and a bonus for our other muscles needing to recover from our session that day! A bath is always such a relaxing thing, and finding something to allow our bodies and minds to relax will help to speed up any recovery process.
Our lives are always so busy, so taking a few minutes out of the day to completely relax, disconnect and soak in a nice hot bath is a great way to help give our mind and body some TLC!
Here’s how to make your bath time the ultimate experience for relaxation and recovery:
- Run your bath water as hot as you can stand it
- Add 2 cups of epsom salts
- Add 10-15 drops of essential oil. This can help relax you, calm you, help you sleep and some oils will also help with muscle soreness. Some of our fav combos are: 10 drops lavender & 5 drops Roman Chamomile (this combo is great for sleep) 8 drops Eucalyptus 8 drops Rosemary & 4 drops Lavender (this combo is great for pain relief)
- Soak for 12-15 minutes which will allow your skin to absorb depleted magnesium levels from strenuous training. Epsom salt also helps reduce inflammation, which is great for athletes trying to recover quickly and effectively.
#2 – Float Tank Therapy
If you haven’t tried Floatation Therapy, its something we suggest doing at least once in your life to see what its like! We were given a float voucher for Christmas last year, this was the first time we had heard about it and discovered how great it was for recovery, pain relief and relaxation.
Floatation is a powerful tool to unplug from a hectic & overstimulated world in order to achieve true mental & physical wellbeing. Float therapy involves the use of a float tank which can be thought of as being like a giant private spa bath, which contains a shallow Epsom-salt water solution (over 500kg Magnesium Sulphate). Due to the density of the water, upon lying down, your body is able to float effortlessly, freed from gravity and tension and allowing your entire body to relax. With a wide range of proven, highly documented mental and physical benefits, the experience of flotation aims to remove sources of discomfort and stress by freeing your mind and body from all external stimulation. Your mind and body truly rest, your senses are revived and your mind is refreshed. Profound relaxation, pain relief, better sleep and an improved feeling of well being follow. Floating literally takes all the pressure off your joints including your back which in turn, alleviates pain.
#3 Rolling Out (on a foam roller or mobility ball)
Rolling out on a foam roller (also known as Trigger point massage therapy) or a mobility ball is a form of self-myofascial release. Fascia is the thin sheath of connective tissue that covers all the muscles and organs of the body and is responsible for connecting muscle groups. When disrupted, it can cause pain and poor range of movement. Tight fascia can pull the body out of alignment and increase pressure on muscles and joints, causing pain. The goal of trigger point massage therapy is to stretch and loosen the fascia so the underlying tissue can move freely.
Main Benefits:
- increase joint range of motion
- help muscle performance
- decrease fatigue after exercise
- decrease soreness after exercise
This type of release is best after a workout, but you can also do it whenever you remember throughout the day. It only takes a few minutes. It’s much like stretching, the more you do it, the better you feel and the better the results will be after being consistent.
If you are able to tolerate a little amount of pain, the mobility ball is an excellent way to help with releasing tension and helping to easy pain. It will help to break up adhesions between the fascia. Using this remedy on your back pain (or any problem areas) daily will make a world of difference and give your muscles the TLC it deserves, especially after a strenuous workout. Adding this into your daily routine will help you improve performance, recovery help you feel great
We hope these 3 Natural remedies help to reduce some of the pain or discomfort your body is feeling from time to time. Take the time out to have a relaxing bath, give the float tank therapy a try and do yourself a favour and invest in a mobility ball to roll out on!
