Here's The Worst Advice Ever For Back Pain Relief
If you’ve been dealing with chronic low back pain post fusion, herniated disc or bulging disc I am willing to put money on the chance you’ve been given some terrible advice.
Each individual person is a little different when it comes to wohat will work and what wont but there are a few things that we need to stop saying to back pain sufferers.
In today’s video, I break down 4 of the worst pieces of advice you could ever be given when it comes to what works for long-term back pain relief.
What Can I Do For Unbearable Back Pain?
The first step I suggest is to remove everything you’re doing right now and allow your body and central nervous system to relax.
How long you “detox” will be different for each person. The worst thing you could do is try to stack exercise and more movement on a foundation that isn’t ready for it.
The 4 first steps that I take with clients are:
ONE: Drink Water. I suggest males drink 3.5 Liters for men and 2.5 liters for women.
This is just the base layer and will vary depending on your activity level.
TWO: Walking. I encourage everyone to stop all other activities and focus on pain-free walking habits at first. Find a distance that does not worsen your pain and start with a fast pace up to that pain threshold daily.
THREE: Sleep. Stop telling yourself you are okay getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Instead, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep, no questions asked.
FOUR: Pain Triggers. Learn your pain triggers and look for patterns that you can start modifying and taking back control over the pain you put yourself in daily.
Before trying to add exercise on top of the pain, focus everything you do on these 4 areas for the first couple of weeks.
Worst Advice For Low Back Pain Relief #1:Stretching
Please stop stretching to maintain the little relief you get from your low back pain.
Yes, I know stretching feels good and “it’s the only way you can get out of bed in the morning,” but think about that.
Why not fix the issues at hand so that you don’t have to keep stretching to get out of bed.
Despite what your yoga teacher might be telling you, stretching will NOT help lengthen those tight, achy muscles in your low back. On the contrary, stretching them will only make them worse.
Worst Advice For Low Back Pain Relief #2: Following ONE Method Only
There are a lot of great back pain relief leaders around the world, but one of the worst things you could do is think that only one of them will hold the answers to your problem.
The sooner you realize that you are responsible for your recovery and not Stuart McGill or Robin McKenzie, the sooner you will see results.
You need to be willing to test different ways out, throw out what does not work, and keep what does. Do that with ALL 3 aspects of pain relief, and you will see fantastic results with time.
I cover what I think are the 3 most important “areas” of pain relief you’re program has to consider in the full video above!
Worst Advice For Low Back Pain Relief #3: Waiting To Be Pain-Free To Exercise
It’s common for pain to guide whether or not we should do something or not. But there are times when we need to be willing to face the pain head-on and not be afraid of it.
Pain is simply a signal, not proof or confirmation that something is broken or wrong. However, for a lot of chronic low back pain suffers, their “Pain System” is on high alert, so everything may seem like a pain trigger.
That’s normal, and if you learn to respect your pain threshold and not push past it, you can start regular activity even when you are experiencing symptoms.
It’s all about knowing your limits and trusting that your body is strong and not broken.
Worst Advice For Low Back Pain Relief #4: Build A Stronger Core
I break this down in detail in this week’s video, but the critical point is that your main focus needs to be around core endurance and coordination with bracing, breathing, and movement.
Now that’s not as sexy as “building a stronger core,” but that’s the reality of it.
Odds are your core is strong enough, but you fail at utilizing the core during critical moments in your day, leading to pain.
In the video above, I break down this concept and give some examples of what you can focus on!
