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I know from experience that suffering from back pain can be debilitating and put a damper on your quality of life.  After herniating a disc in my early 20’s, I quickly learned how important it is to take care of my back pain, and my injury made me passionate about helping others to do the same.  In fact, nearly 80% of adults experience some form of back pain at some point in their lives. But there is hope! There are a number of things you can do to relieve back pain and improve your quality of life.

There’s a range of reasons why you may experience back pain, and while it’s outside of the scope of my personal training certification to diagnose anyone, the good news is that there are a number of things you can do to relieve back pain fast!

In this article, I'll share some tips and  tricks for a pain-free back.  I’ll also share several products and tools I use to manage my own back pain.  I always recommend that people seek the help of their medical team or doctor, and especially a physical therapist, to make sure you are provided with back treatment specific to your pain.  Someone who is experiencing sciatic back pain should typically be treated differently from someone with an achy and tight back.  I’ve worked with a wide range of clients experiencing all types of back pain, so I’m here to help!

1. Get moving. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for back pain. It helps to strengthen the muscles that support your spine and can help to improve your range of motion.

My top favorite movements for back pain are:

Pigeon

Plank and Side Plank

Cat Cow

Clamshells

Chest Stretch

If you’d like workouts with exercises and stretches for back pain, I welcome you to workout with me in my Back Pain Relief Program.  Use code NEWSLETTER23 for $10 off.  

2. Try heat therapy. Applying heat to the sore muscles in your back can help to relieve pain and stiffness.  A warm bath (I prefer an epsom salt bath for 20 minutes) or a heating pad are affordable and accessible at home remedies.  One caveat is that if you’ve recently experienced an acute back pain event, your doctor may actually prescribe ice instead of heat, which is why involving your medical team is valuable. 

3. Wear comfortable shoes.  I once heard a saying that went something like,”invest in products that separate your body from the ground”, meaning things like shoes and beds, and I agree!  Getting fit for supportive shoes or orthopedic inserts can be life changing.  

4. Get a massage.  Massages are one of the best investments I’ve made in my life.  Sometimes the only thing that can relax muscles is the power of human touch.  However, if this isn’t accessible to you, consider making a one time investment of a tool like Theragun, or a much smaller investment of a Foam Roller that you use regularly.  Psst…my back pain relief program has foam rolling stretches included in it.

5. Physical Therapy.  If your back pain worsens or is not improving, I highly recommend visiting a physical therapist.  PT isn’t just for the elderly or those recovering from surgery, and can help!  I still do my back pain physical therapy exercises every week.  I’ve noticed that 15 minutes improves my pain for an entire week.

My two other tips for back pain are using a TENS unit and CBD.  TENS units have little electrode-like gel pads that when attached near tight muscles, can deliver a series of heat and electricity and alleviate pain.  I use mine every day at bedtime.  I also live in a state where cannabis is legal, and have discovered that a small daily dose of CBD (the part of the marijuana that does not get you high), completely eliminates my remaining back pain.  If you’re over 21 years old and live in the Bay Area, you can use my discount code “Barbellblondie” when you order from Sava cannabis delivery.  I personally use a high ratio of CBD to low ratio THC, but everyone is different. 

I hope you find these tips helpful and that they help you get relief from your back pain fast!  

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