most recent 30 from http://paleohacks.com 2013-05-25T02:19:42Z http://paleohacks.com/feeds/question/76321 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back Aughra 2011-11-11T01:59:39Z 2013-01-27T01:10:55Z

<p>So yesterday morning I lifted my not so little 11 month old the wrong way and Suddenly my lower back was spasming like crazy and I've been hobbling around hunched over for about 36 hours with little improvement from hot/cold therapy, a hot tub soak, stretching, and ibuprofen. </p> <p>Is there anything dietary or natural I can do to help this or at least prevent it from happening again? Obviously don't lift him wrong and more core exercises... </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76322#76322 Nance 2011-11-11T02:08:14Z 2011-11-11T02:08:14Z

<p>As my back specialist once told me, "Don't bend, twist, flex or rotate." "Don't lift anything heavier than a 2-liter."</p> <p>I asked, "What does that leave?" And he said, "Walk, walk, walk! 5 miles per day."</p> <p>For an acute sprain with swelling, either a heating pad or ice pack may help. A pillow under your knees (lying on your back) or between your knees (on your side) will take the pressure off your back and help the muscles relax. A thin pillow under your stomach while lying on your stomach can give pain relief because it takes pressure off some nerves.</p> <p>I don't always honor his "don'ts" but I can confirm that the walking helps. There's a standard set of exercises for lower back issues that is easily found on the web.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76326#76326 JayJay 2011-11-11T02:36:29Z 2011-11-11T02:36:29Z

<p>I consider seeing a chiropractor "natural" as your not going to get anything put into or taken out of your system that is not already there. Could save you a whole lot of pain and aid in better healing. </p> <p>But, I'm guessing you are looking for some things to do at home. In that case, once your injured you need TIME more than anything. The healing process is going to take time. What you do in that time has a great effect on how quickly AND completely healing occurs. </p> <p>Getting normal motion back into the area as quickly as possible provides the best results to inhibit scar tissue formation and promote healing. Other than that for the first few days to week try not to do anything to exacerbate it. Work to the pain but not through it when stretching or moving. Like nance said walking CAN be terrific, but that kind of depends on how bad you are. At your stage you could likely start alternating heat/ice/heat for 20/10/20. If your not improving after a week then you may need to make an appointment.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76327#76327 Lisa 2011-11-11T02:39:11Z 2011-11-11T02:39:11Z

<p>I'm a chiropractor. no reason to wait a minute longer, make an appointment</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76344#76344 familygrokumentarian 2011-11-11T03:44:07Z 2011-11-11T03:44:07Z

<p>I recently tweaked something and found that some Cal-Mag-D as an ingested supplement, along with epsom salts (magnesium sulfat) in a hot bath did a lot to relieve my pain. Good luck! Being pain-immobile with a young one is super challenging (I know 'cause I was trying to corral my almost two year old as well!). </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76348#76348 Omid Khalili 2011-11-11T03:49:28Z 2011-11-11T03:49:28Z

<p>I hurt my back about a year ago falling down the stairs. Different injury as it wasn't related to lifting. (Before I fell down the stairs I was deadlifting greater than double my body weight). I didn't wait long enough to fully recover and got back into the gym to early. I also tried to pick up from where I left off before the injury and ended up straining my back even more. </p> <p>Acupuncture helped me almost immediately. In addition, I've been doing physical therapy for the last 2 months. Half way through I noticed immediate improvements. It was a combination of stretches, massage, and simple exercises that helped rebuild injured muscles. I'm slowly making my way back into the gym now and am feeling pretty good again. As I got to chat with the therapist, many of the back injuries she said she sees are related to weak backs rather than trauma, like my case.</p> <p>I'm not an expert or doctor, but this sounds like a case of a weak back to me. Time will heal your back; however, without proper exercise and strength training, your muscles will continue to atrophy. You will be likely to hurt yourself again and require regularly seeing a chiropractor/acupuncturist. </p> <p>Physical therapy can be particularly useful as they can help assess where you are weak and provide exercises and stretches to strengthen yourself. As you recover and get stronger, you should start doing exercises like backsquats and deadlifts (under proper supervision!) to build stronger muscles in your back, legs and core. This will help prevent future injuries.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76375#76375 Dorado Galore 2011-11-11T04:56:49Z 2011-11-11T04:56:49Z

<p>Keep going with hot/cold alternation, and then, when the time is apt, get the right kind of bodywork. "Right" depending on many, many factors not currently part of the discussion. </p> <p>But, for now, lay low and don't exacerbate.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76423#76423 Dragonfly 2011-11-11T13:17:59Z 2011-11-11T13:17:59Z

<p>For the future: Make sure your C, Zinc, and A are dialed in for repair. Protein/gelatin, too! </p> <p>I noticed a significant increase in the speed of my healing after I started supplementing with 50 mg zinc picolinate to correct a long-standing deficiency.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76476#76476 Alexandra 2011-11-11T17:45:53Z 2011-11-11T17:45:53Z

<p>Tui Na Massage plus acupuncture.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76486#76486 nutsnseedz 2011-11-11T18:14:51Z 2011-11-11T18:14:51Z

<p>after it heals, get a competent coach and take up deadlifting.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/76538#76538 Suzy M. 2011-11-11T23:26:09Z 2011-11-11T23:26:09Z

<p>I have had lower back issues for years. I used the McKenzie Method (http://www.mckenziemdt.org/approach.cfm?section=int) to successfully treat lower back pain and now use it for maintenance. </p> <p>It is based on very simple extensions which are repeated on a schedule. It is very effective and simple and you can do it yourself. </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/76321/natural-solutions-for-a-strained-lower-back/82188#82188 syrahna 2011-12-09T00:56:18Z 2011-12-09T00:56:18Z

<p>AshleyRoz, are you still nursing? Sometimes those mama hormones keep things very loose. You might want to consider some physical therapy or gentle pilates to get your core engaging well so you're safer. Ice is indeed your friend, and make sure it's cold - none of those soft reusable packs. </p> <p>And I don't buy into homeopathy, but I swear some arnica preparations help. </p>