The Back Pain Blog

I have put this list together from studying the literature we were given at a pain management workshop that I attended last year and from the advice I have received over the years from Physio’s, Chiropractors etc. Certainly these are not going to suit everyone and are not a substitute for pain medication, and although not ‘ground-breaking’ I hope that they will be of use to you in dealing with your pain and everything that comes with it.

Number One

Try To Accept Your Pain – yeah, I know, I thought you had to be super-human to do this when I first heard of it too!

What I have learnt, particularly in recent visits to a Psychologist is that accepting your pain is all about coming to terms with the changes in your life that have come about from suffering pain. As much as these changes might have put you in a situation that you don’t necessarily want to be in, you can find positives in each and every situation if you try.

Also it is about doing what you can to design your lifestyle to suit your condition, not banging your head against a wall trying to do things that you were able to before the onset of the pain. I personally had a lot of trouble coming to terms with my ‘new’ lifestyle but once I focused on the positives and started to look forward instead of backwards it did become easier.

Number Two

Exercise – this one I put off for as long as I possibly could. Why would I want to intentionally put myself through pain for no ‘apparent’ result?

You’ve probably heard it a million times but inactivity leads to muscle weakness which further adds to our pain. Naturally you must see your doctor before starting any sort of exercise or potentially strenuous activity but if you look around there are a number of exercise programs that are well suited to people suffering from back pain and they are usually nothing more than a series of stretches that you do daily or every second day until you can handle something a bit more ‘physical’.

I feel stronger in my core muscles from doing my exercises which as you can imagine must take some of the strain from my spine. There is a good book which explains the in’s and out’s of exercising with back pain, it is entitled The Bad Back Book and is available as a free download  from HERE.

Number Three

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help – Help in any form can be a godsend when you are suffering in pain and you should not be afraid to ask for it.

Although we may feel like we have a handle on the situation we may in fact be struggling more than we like to admit. In this PREVIOUS POST I spoke about my almost dislike for going to see a Psychologist because, as far as I was concerned I was doing pretty good considering the situation I was in. After biting the bullet, and plenty of nagging from my wife, I went along and honestly it was the best thing I have done in a long time.

Not only did I realise that I was setting myself up for failure with the expectations I had for my immediate future, I was also not handling the emotional side of things very well at all. I really had things screwed up and after just three visits I am back on track and feeling so much better for it. Your Doctor or Public Health Centre should be able to organise any help you may need and believe me the right kind of help can make a world of difference.

Number Four

Relaxation – my favourite past-time! Seriously though if you can manage some time out to sit and relax you have a better chance of getting through the day without a major pain flare-up.

When I did the pain management course last year the first and last thing we did every session was have a five minute relaxation session and I have to say it does put you in a better frame of mind and relieving the tension in your muscles can also lessen your pain. I had a lot of trouble achieving a relaxed state with everything that was going on in my head but after practising for a while I found it quite easy to get into a completely relaxed state.

Running a warm bath (and locking the door!) or sitting alone once everyone else has gone to bed are good times to practice your relaxation techniques. There are many CD’s and Audio tapes available for a good price on the net and I suggest you try one to achieve the ‘ultimate relaxation’. Something the pain management course instructor preached religiously was not to give up, it may take many sessions until you can truly relax but it is sure worth it.

I hope that you have found some useful tips in Part One of this article and Part Two can be found HERE.

Please Take Care,

Craig

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