Coping With Back Pain Flare-Ups at Home

Is stress turning your muscles into knots? Notice your back pain flaring up? Finding yourself glued to your not-so-ergonomic chair for hours? Back pain is never a good time. Plus, when you’re busy and distracted, it can be hard to remember to take care of your back.

The good news is that there are many things you can do to cope with back pain right at home. Kaia is here to help you stay on track, no matter what. Read on for some helpful tips.

Turn up the heat

Heat therapy can be one of the first steps to get quick relief.

Warmth helps blood to circulate better and relaxes muscles, which can both help to relieve back pain. At home, you can try a hot bath or heating pad. Warming creams or heat patches are also very good options. Important: If your pain gets worse with heat therapy, tell your doctor. It may be an indicator of inflammation.

Keep your cool

The tricky thing about back pain, especially when it flares up, is that worrying about the pain itself can actually cause more back pain. Generally speaking, back pain isn’t dangerous (that is, when there aren’t any red flags). So, if you notice yourself worrying about or focusing too much on your back pain, it’s a great time to practice mindfulness.

One way to define mindfulness is “the art of staying in the present moment.” (As opposed to worrying about “what if.”) The Relaxation section of the Kaia Pain app has several exercises that use mindfulness. These exercises can help you feel more at peace as they gently guide your thoughts back to the present moment.

Relax your back

There are some great ways to help the muscles in your back to relax and release tension. For one, the relaxation exercises in the Kaia Pain app don’t just help your mind to feel calmer. They can also help your muscles to unwind. Other ways to help your back to relax include doing yoga and T’ai Chi.

Talk back to pain flare-ups

If your back pain has recently flared, try the Psoas Position, which can easily be done at home. The psoas (pronounced “SO-az”) is a muscle that helps keep your spine stable. You might remember this position from the Kaia Pain app. All you need is an exercise mat (or towel) and a low stool, tall cushion, or exercise ball.

How to do the Psoas Position

1. Lie on your back on your towel or exercise mat.
2. Bend your knees and drape your lower legs on the stool/cushion/ball.
3. There should be 2 right angles in this position: one between your back and thighs and the other between your thighs and calves.
4. Relax and hold for 2 minutes (or no longer than 3 minutes). If this position feels good to you, it’s OK to repeat it a few times as long as you make sure that you hold it for no longer than 3 minutes each time.

Note: If lying on your back is uncomfortable, try the same position on your side.

Get back on track with exercise

You probably saw this one coming! It’s true—we’re big champions for exercise here at Kaia. Why? Because not moving is worse for back pain in the long run. Plus, exercise can help stave off future flare-ups. After a flare-up, as soon as you’re able, start moving again regularly with your Kaia physical exercises and walks. Go slowly at first if you need, but try to get moving again as soon as possible. You can also opt to receive handy exercise reminders in your Kaia app to help you stay on track.

Conclusion

When you’re juggling a lot in your life, you might notice direct effects on your back. Luckily, there are many things you can do to cope with back pain at home, like doing your Kaia relaxation and physical exercises, keeping worry in check, and using treatments like heat therapy. There are many tools available—see what works best for you!