home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Gold Medal Software 3
/
Gold Medal Software - Volume 3 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso
/
tutor
/
bkache56.arj
/
PART2.EXE
/
REMED.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1992-12-04
|
10KB
|
162 lines
------------------------------------------------------------
HOME REMEDIES
------------------------------------------------------------
What should you do when you need FAST relief from a sudden back
spasm or painful backache? What home remedies and course of
action helps during a backache attack? What other lifestyle
changes might reduce back pain and strain?
Backaches tend to be a matter of degree and intensity. Sometimes
the pain is mild with only a sense of stiffness. Other times
quite severe. It may be worse when bending or may only happen
when your back is cold.
One indicator to watch for is the sudden onset of pain which
radiates down into the foot or lower leg which could clearly
indicate the presence of a ruptured disc. However, if the pain
remains localized to your back or upper thigh, the chance of
disc rupture is lower - not zero, just lower. If you fear that a
ruptured disc is the source of the pain head for bed
immediately, call the doctor and try to curl up on your side
with your knees pulled up and bent.
But let's back up a step. What course of action should be taken
for various degrees of back pain which come on suddenly?
For mild back stiffness and pain take aspirin or tylenol if you
are allergic to aspirin. Avoid all but VERY brief periods of
sitting or riding in a car, sleep on a firm mattress on your
side or back with knees elevated by a pillow. Do the pelvic tilt
and other mild exercises twice a day to ease muscle stiffness,
place a warm water bottle beneath your back before exercises and
while at rest on your back. Avoid bending, lifting, overstuffed
or soft chairs. Eat while standing and work while standing, if
possible.
For severe back pain consider the following. Contact your
physician immediately. Take aspirin or tylenol for pain in the
dosage recommended by your physician. Ice packs for ten to
fifteen minutes the first 24 hours of the attack may decrease
pain and relieve muscle spasm; check with physician if this is
advisable. Do not overchill skin or back. After the first 24
hours ask physician if application of mild heat is allowed to
relax muscle stiffness. Attempt to stay in bed while you lie on
your side or back with knees elevated. Get out of bed only for
VERY brief trips to bathroom. Take warm showers and NO sitting
baths. Watch for signs of numbness in toes or lower legs. Watch
for signs of fever by checking your temperature. Avoid ALL
sitting for the first week. Avoid back exercises for first four
to five days until pain and stiffness has subsided. After that
time try pelvic tilt and light knees tucks to chest. Follow up
with second visit to physician. Determine a recommended back
exercise or therapy program in consultation with physician.
Another simple home remedy for mild back pain is to lie on the
floor on your back and place both legs in an elevated position
on the seat of the chair. Thus the knees are bent and the pelvis
is slightly tilted reducing some back strain. In fact any
resting position on your back which allows the knees to be bent
and the feet elevated reduces back strain. A small warm water
bottle under the small of the back for short periods reduces
muscle spasm and may further reduce the pain. Any time you put a
water bottle under your back be sure to wrap it in a towel and
use only a small amount of warm water so that the water bottle
remains relatively flat. Your back cannot remain flat while you
lie on a water bottle the size of a balloon. Keep the water
bottle flat!
Some people report relatively rapid relief if a corset or back
brace is worn for a few days following an attack of back pain.
This is usually fitted to your back by a physician or physical
therapist. But remember that the back brace is merely
stabilizing a weakened spinal column and for the most part
preventing supporting muscles from developing healthy tone.
However if a physician tells you to wear a back brace or corset
for an extended period of time - such as in the case of disc
rupture or specific surgical recovery, by all means follow your
doctor's instructions. If arthritis is also a compounding cause
of your backaches, aspirin's strong anti-inflammatory effects
are usually beneficial in reducing joint inflammation.
As an unusual twist, try doing a few of the back exercises like
the pelvic tilt and knees pulled to chest maneuver laying on
your back in the bathtub partially filled with warm water. You
will be surprised at the extra flexibility and relief from pain
you can get exercising in a warm bathtub.
Are there special foods or vitamins which have been implicated
in correcting backaches? Vitamin A or C deficiency can cause
scurvy and a type of back pain. Vitamin D deficiency causes
rickets and consequent back pain. Osteoporosis has been
connected with vitamin D and calcium imbalance.
For the most part, though, these are specific vitamin-linked
problems, not overall dietary problem patterns found among most
back pain patients. Some research has indicated that Vitamin E
in its role as anti-oxidant may slow some forms for joint
deterioration, aging and pain in adults. Dehydration or lack of
water can cause some existing joint and disc problems to flare
up painfully. About the best that can be said from a sensible
dietary standpoint is to drink additional water - 6 to 8 glasses
per day and perhaps take two or three ordinary vitamin tablets
per week if you are concerned about your diet and back pain. It
may not help, but it certainly cannot hurt.
Consider wearing flexible shoes or sneakers for several weeks
after an attack of back pain. Women's high heels are notorious
for causing back pain and a change to different footwear
permanently may further reduce chances of back pain. Also check
for worn out heels and soles which may slip or provide improper
support and cause falls and other types of back injury. The role
of shoes and back pain has been established. When in doubt try
wearing tennis shoes for several weeks and see if back comfort
is increased.
When sitting for long periods of time, consider stretching your
legs, wiggling your toes and finding a way to put one or both
feet on a footrest. As you sit, try to contract your stomach and
buttock muscles and tilt your pelvis every ten minutes despite
your sitting condition. Most people unconsciously cross their
legs while sitting which is simply an attempt by the body to
tilt the pelvis and raise one leg higher than the other. You
don't cross your legs because your leg becomes more comfortable,
but because your BACK becomes more comfortable! However,
crossing your legs while you sit is no substitute for a footrest
and occasional stretch break.
As mentioned in earlier tutorials, try adjusting your work
schedule to alternate between standing and sitting positions.
When you stand, shift one foot then the other on a six to ten
inch high footrest.
As you stand, try to do a "mini" pelvic tilt by slightly bending
your knees, tensing your buttocks and thrusting your lower
pelvis forward. Do this three or four times an hour and hold the
tilt position for about ten seconds. You can even do this in a
supermarket checkout line since the maneuver is barely
perceptible and is a matter of merely a slight bending of knees
and tilting of hips.
Also consider the statistics or "odds" that you will have
backaches and take corrective action: tall people are prone to
backaches as are overweight people. Pregnant women and women
during and after menopause are also prone to back pain. Office
workers and computer users who sit for long periods of time are
frequently backache patients. If you are in a risk group for
backaches, use these tutorials to trace the most probable cause
and consult with your physician on a course of action.
This tutorial is merely a starting point! For further
information on back care and back pain, be sure to register this
software ($25.00) which brings by prompt postal delivery a
printed, illustrated guide to back pain written by a physician
plus two software disks. From the main menu select "Print
Registration Form." Or from the DOS prompt type the command
ORDER. Mail to Seattle Scientific Photography (Dept. BRN), PO
Box 1506, Mercer Island, WA 98040. If you cannot print the order
form, send $25.00 to the above address and a short letter
requesting these materials. End of chapter.