How to relieve back pain with the help of very effective soothing plants.
Back pain is an ungrateful travel companion for many people. According to an epidemiological study carried out in Catalonia, it represents just over 50% of all painful manifestations suffered by the population.
Low back pain is caused by repetitive poor posture, overloading or muscle injuries. It is also associated with pregnancy, overweight, osteoarthritis and even emotional stress. Some professions are prone to it, such as teachers, dentists, shop assistants, hairdressers or transporters.
To relieve back pain, it is essential to correct bad postures and avoid situations prone to lumbago, but you also have to study the convenience of receiving physiotherapy, acupuncture or therapeutic massage, as the case may be.
Practicing Pilates also helps you improve natural posture and strengthen the abdominal and lumbar area, thus protecting the spine and relieving back pain. If you want to learn how to do Pilates but you think it is difficult and you do not know very well where to start, with the online course Pilates at home you will learn how to do it at any age.
Phytotherapy can also be an excellent additional help and without side effects.
3 NATURAL REMEDIES FOR LOW BACK PAIN
There is no better natural analgesic than the bark of white willow (Salix alba), which contains compounds such as salicylic acid, precursor of the famous aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid). You can take up to 3 cups a day of decoction, preferably in association with other herbs that enhance its action and improve flavor, such as yarrow, mint, viburnum and horsetail. If it is easier for you, in herbalists you will find it in tincture, liquid extract and capsules.
For long treatments, one of the best herbal solutions is indicated: harpagophytum (Harpagophytum procumbens), which comes from South Africa. Complements are the false fruits of juniper (Juniperus communis), with a powerful soothing action, and ginger essential oil (Zingiber officinale), which applied topically generates a sensation of heat and cold – without causing irritation or allergy – very suitable for controlling pain.
1. GINGER
- Why it’s useful: It’s relaxing, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic.
- Which part is used: the rhizome powder or chopped.
- Try it like this: mix 5 drops of essential oil with 10 drops of sweet almond oil and apply it in gentle massage.
2. HARPAGOPHYTUM
- Why it’s useful: It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antispasmodic effects.
- Which part is used: the tuber.
- Try it like this: in capsules or tablets (450-500 mg, 2 to 6 a day, as prescribed).
3. JUNIPER
- Why it is useful: in addition to analgesic, it is detoxifying.
- Which part is used: false fruits or galbules.
- Try it like this: In infusion, 3 cups a day, with friar’s crown, ash leaves, viburnum and fennel.
WHAT TO DO TO AVOID NEW PICTURES OF LOW BACK PAIN OR LOW BACK PAIN
To cause low back pain, it is enough with a bad position when walking or simply with leading a sedentary life. At the end of the day the lumbar area has supported the weight of the upper trunk and has acted as an effective shock absorber that absorbs the pressures of the lower part, through the pelvis and legs.
If the spine is not well aligned or the musculature is not strong enough to support it, the lumbar vertebrae may suffer and then pain appears. Some habits and exercises are ideal for preventing low back pain.
1. CHANGES IN POSTURE AGAINST LOW BACK PAIN
The human body needs physical activity for all its organs and systems to function properly. Therefore, if we maintain the same posture for a long time, muscle tension increases, the circulation of body fluids decreases and there is a progressive suffocation of the tissues that leads to pain.
To release the tensions that cause low back pain, it is essential to practice proper postural hygiene, especially when making sudden movements or those that require strength, using legs and arms (not the back), and balancing loads.
It is important to change your posture often when sitting for a long time, get up occasionally, stretch and not sleep on your stomach, as the lumbar curvature is accentuated.
2. DO THE RECLINING TURN EXERCISE
This exercise, called “reclining gyrus” – not to be confused with the yoga posture (asana) Supta Matsyendrasana, which can also be translated “reclining gyrus” – helps keep the lumbar area flexible and tones the muscles of the lower back.
It also firms the oblique and transverse muscles of the abdomen and offers a mitigation of the load that supports the muscles. In this way you reduce the chances of a lumbago appearing due to accumulation of tension.
How to do it:
- Sit on a mat and bend your knees with the soles of your feet on the floor.
- Lean back and lean on your elbows, which are aligned below your shoulders. Don’t sink your head.
- When exhaling, bring your knees gently to the left, as far as you can. Stay like this for a few seconds, feeling the torsion in the lower back, while breathing.
- Raise your knees again and bring them to the other side.
- Repeat five times on each side and then rest stretched on the floor, with your knees bent and the soles of your feet resting on the floor. You can also bring your knees to your chest and hug them.
If you have read this article because you are already suffering from lumbago and you are looking for a solution, you can read this other article: 4 first aid to relieve low back pain and gain mobility.
You will also find a great complement in this other back stretch, because it relaxes all the muscles of the spine and in turn the adductor muscles, which are located inside the leg and shorten when you spend many hours sitting.
3. STRETCH YOUR MUSCLES
To keep them free of pressure and tension, the postural muscles in this area must remain flexible and elastic. If these muscles are not stretched and flexed periodically, pain may occur.
If you spend the day sitting in front of the computer, try to get up every 2 hours and stretch your muscles. You can take a short walk trying to free the areas that you notice more tense.
You can also do specific stretches; There are exercises designed to be done in the chair, in the same workplace. If you want to be more discreet, going up and down stairs can be very effective.
- We can stretch even in the chair
- 5 daily gestures to avoid contractures
4. EAT AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET
It is advisable to reduce or completely avoid the intake of red meat, sausages, processed products, dairy products and refined sugars, as they are foods that promote inflammation of the tissues.
On the other hand, try to increase the consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (in walnuts and flax seeds) that reduce inflammation and, consequently, pain.
- Daily detoxifying and anti-inflammatory menu
- The Six Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods
5. INCREASE FLUID INTAKE
I advise you to drink, in addition, two liters of water a day, in small quantities. Hydration promotes blood circulation, also in muscle fibers, and helps prevent contractures. Incorporate the juice of a lemon in the first glass of the day, as it deacidifies tissues and reduces inflammation.
A very good option is to drink green tea throughout the day. In addition to hydrating you, it has a powerful antioxidant action that protects against certain cancers and maintains cardiovascular health.
6. TAKE A SOOTHING INFUSION
Take daily an infusion of extracts of chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm and valerian in equal parts.
This combination of plants calms anxiety and relieves pain thanks to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic action. It is proven that many pains and contractures are related to the degree of stress suffered.
7. MICRONUTRIENTS THAT HELP
Incorporate into your daily diet a supplement containing 350 mg of magnesium and 15 mg of vitamin E. Magnesium helps reduce hypersensitivity to pain and is also a muscle relaxant, while vitamin E has anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory properties and acts as a cellular antioxidant.
