How to Live with Back Pain

Maintaining as regular a routine as possible is the best approach for living with back pain. Whether your back pain comes from a short-term sprain or a long-term condition, the more you give in to it the more painful and difficult it will become to treat. This advice may seem unsympathetic to begin with but those who have had to live with back pain for years will attest that the best medicine is to do your best to live a normal, productive life.

Instructions

Find Ways to Live with Back Pain

• 1

  Make a conscious decision to enjoy life, even if you have to live with back pain.

• 2

  Distract yourself from your pain. Many people find that techniques, such a visual imagery, can take their minds off of the pain. Close your eyes and concentrate on a happy memory or a mental picture of a favorite place. Sometimes the mere thought of a visual cue can begin to take your mind off your pain.

• 3

  Consult a biofeedback professional for help in living with back pain. Through biofeedback training, a person gains more control over the body's automatic functions, which in turn may help the person to have more control over back pain.

• 4

  Practice relaxation therapy. Back pain is undoubtedly magnified by tension and stress within the body. Relaxation therapy works to relieve that stress and also to take your mind off of the pain.

• 5

  Establish a daily routine with back care in mind. Moderate exercise should be included in your regimen, but so should a time for just relaxing with a cup of tea or in a warm bath.

• 6

  Make your home and workplace back friendly. Replace chairs and beds that could cause back pain. Level out uneven surfaces. Move books and other items from high places.

• 7

  Pinpoint activities that cause back pain or aggravate your existing injuries and avoid them. Many people resume the practices that caused their injuries in the first place, and then wonder why they succumb to back pain again.

• 8

  Set boundaries with your loved ones, your friends and your work colleagues. Quite often, people who have chronic back pain are also people who feel called upon to respond to every crisis and be there for every person. Learn to take care of yourself without feeling selfish.