5 Things You Need To STOP Doing If You Are In Pain

by | May 5, 2020 | Health Tips & Encouragement

5 Things You Need To STOP Doing If You Are In Pain
*Note: Consult a doctor on what is best for you.
You’re in pain. Now what do you do? 

Better yet, what should you stop doing?

 

You are facing a very common problem. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 80% of adults will experience low back pain at some point in life. 

I share this advice with all of my patients and I want to share it with you too.  Here are 5 things to stop doing, if you are in pain:

1. Stop Using Heat

When pain first begins, it is tempting to target the muscle spasms. Many use heat in order to try to alleviate the muscle tension. However, heat is a vaso-dialator which means that it stimulates the vessels to open and brings in more blood flow. Unfortunately, this creates more swelling, and can increase the irritation of the nerve.

Instead of using heat, try using ice.  While most would consider applying ice less comfortable, it is actually more effective in reducing swelling and alleviating pain. 

2. If It’s Painful, Don’t Do It

Pain is your body’s defense mechanism.  Your body uses pain to tell your brain to stop doing something before you make things worse. If it is painful to lay on your side, try a different position. If turning or twisting is painful, try to avoid doing that motion. 

There can be some benefit of moving up to the point of pain during rehab or therapy. However, you should use caution. Pain is a warning sign telling you to stop doing what you are doing. 

3. Avoid Bending Forward

Many people bend over (or go into flexion) in effort to stretch the muscles in their back and alleviate their pain. However, when you bend over, it stresses the discs in your spine and increases the pressure on your nerves. 

The best analogy I could give you would be a water balloon. Imagine compressing or squishing a water balloon and making it bulge out on the sides. The same is true for the discs in your spine. When you bend forward, it increases the pressure and bulges the disc. Instead, try extending or arching your back to reduce the disc bulge and decrease pressure on your nerves. 

4. Stop Being Afraid to Ask For Help

In our culture of independence, many people will refuse to reach out to loved ones for help. Instead, most people will try to do things that they can’t or shouldn’t on their own, which results in further injury.

No one wants to be a burden on others, but reaching out for help to carry groceries, get up the stairs, open the door is sometimes a humbling and necessary experience. There is no shame in asking for help while you recover and heal.

5. Don’t Just Treat The Symptom

Typically, the first reaction to pain is to get rid of it, which makes sense. No one likes to be in pain. But oftentimes, people resort to pain medications or muscle relaxers for a “quick fix”. There is a time and place for such thing. However, the issue is that they only mask the symptom so that you can’t feel the pain.  They don’t ever correct the issue.

As I mentioned before, pain is the way your body communicates that you should stop doing something.  If you mask the symptom with medications, your brain cannot receive the message that something is wrong.  Which means that you may be doing things that your body actually can’t handle without even feeling the pain. This usually causes further injury and pain after the medication wears off.

Other times, people choose to ignore the pain or push through it in hopes that the pain will “just go away.” The reality is that if we don’t actually get to the root of the problem, the pain will more than likely return or continue. The only way to ensure that the pain doesn’t get worse or prevent the pain from returning is to correct the problem.

If you are dealing with discomfort, I recommend seeking help. Don’t just cover or mask the symptom. Address the root cause, and correct it at the source. To schedule an appointment, call 909-276-4035.