How to treat back pain at home?

There are many ways you can help ease your back pain from home. Here are some things we recommend:

• Exercise: Gentle exercises can help relieve back pain and improve your overall fitness and mobility.⁶ Exercises such as knee rolls, pelvic tilts and knee hugs are recommended.⁷ Staying active in your day-to-day life by engaging in regular exercise such as walking, swimming, or yoga can help to both prevent and treat pain.
• Hot or cold therapy: Using an ice pack wrapped in a towel to apply cold therapy to your back for 15-20 minutes at a time can help with pain, especially if the pain was caused by an acute injury. However, as back pain is caused by a variety of factors, you may also want to alternate between an ice pack and a heating pad or hot water bottle.⁸
• Stretches: Regular stretching can help to improve flexibility and reduce muscle tension. To alleviate lower back pain, you could try a knee-to-chest stretch, lying on your back and pulling one knee to your chest.⁹
• Over-the-counter pain relief: Pain medication such as Flarin can be used to help manage your pain symptoms. Make sure you consult your doctor before taking medication and follow the medication’s instructions.

What is the best medication for back pain?

It can be hard to know which over-the-counter pain relief is most effective when treating back pain. Anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen is recommended for such pain – paracetamol on its own is not recommended.⁵ This is supported by NICE guidance which advises you to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as a first line.¹⁰

Is it sciatica?

It can be difficult to tell whether your back pain is caused by sciatica. Sciatica is a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down to the feet.¹¹ Sciatica is caused when there is pressure on the sciatic nerve, often due to a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone.^11,12 Sciatica may cause pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in the back and legs and can take three to six months before it resolves itself.¹²

Find out more about sciatica in our ‘All About Sciatica’ blog!

How to sleep with back pain?

The position you choose to sleep in can help with back pain; in some cases, the way you sleep may be causing your back pain. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst position for your spine and is likely to increase lower back pain.¹³ The best sleeping position for lower back pain is on your back, as it promotes healthy spine alignment¹³. Ensure that your pillow provides adequate support for your head, neck and shoulders.¹⁴ Placing a pillow under your knees can help to improve your discomfort further, allowing your back muscles to relax.¹⁵

When is back pain serious?

Despite most of us experiencing back pain in our lifetime, not recovering from back pain is a cause for concern.¹⁶ Acute back pain tends to resolve on its own, so if you are experiencing pain that lasts longer than two weeks without any improvement in symptoms, you should consult your GP.¹⁷ If your back pain is accompanied by a sudden spike in pain, weakness or numbness, loss of bladder function, high fever, severe stomach pain, or unexplainable weight loss, you could be dealing with a more serious issue.¹⁷ It’s also important to see your doctor if your back pain is the result of a fall or severe blow to your back to ensure your injury can heal on your own and you get the pain management you need.