Michael’s DOs and DON’Ts for Back Pain

There aren’t many things more debilitating than hurting your back!

It can age you 50 years instantly, making it hard to stand up, roll over, bend down to pick up the laundry basket, or even get dressed.

It’s essential to have it checked out, but here are some key DOs and DON’Ts for that early phase.

These tips are game changers for your recovery time and will help you get back to doing cartwheels, lifting kids, and killing it in the gym faster—without just loading up on pain meds ️

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❌ DON’TS ❌

AVOID MOVEMENT
Motion is lotion! 99% of back injuries feel better when warm and moving than when cold and stiff.

OVERBRACE
Pain naturally makes us want to tense and guard ourselves, but bracing too much through your back and “core” can compound the problem. The DOs list will help you avoid this trap.

CATASTROPHIZE
We all fear the worst when injuries happen, but more than 90% of lower back injuries don’t have any structural damage ✨
Absorb this info and let it reassure you. DON’T listen to Aunt Gladys at the weekend BBQ saying you have a family history of back pain, or Derek at the gym claiming your back will explode if you do some light exercises ️
Even MRIs can be misleading when it comes to back injuries.

STOP DOING MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES
Acute pain is more likely to turn into chronic pain if it keeps you from the meaningful activities in your life, like feeling purpose at work, playing with your kids, exercising, or even bingo at the club.

PUSH THROUGH EXCESSIVE PAIN
Think of pain as an alarm rather than a clear indicator of damage
It’s trying to tell you the system is overloaded, not necessarily broken. Aggressively pushing through sharp, debilitating pain often makes it worse. The DOs below will help switch off the alarm system.
✅ DOS✅

TEST THE WATERS
Find the boundaries of your tolerable range of motion.
Think SLOW AND SMOOTH

BREATHE
When you reach your limit, don’t push past it. Take a nice deep breath in and out, trying to relax into that endpoint. When stretching, you are trying to relax the muscles and your nervous system. If you can’t breathe, you won’t relax

LIGHTEN THE LOAD
Change to an easier position like bending forward while sitting or in child’s pose, get in the water (even better if it’s heated), and if able, keep doing your chosen activity but reduce the load.

WARM IT UP
Heat desensitises the area and helps you get moving, so embrace heat packs, heat creams, and hot showers.

IDENTIFY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Are you sleeping enough? Eating okay? Is there a stressor you can remove, or more likely, counteract by doing more fun, stress-relieving activities?

As always, consult us as professionals if your symptoms are severe, if you are experiencing radiating pain, pins and needles, numbness, or if the pain doesn’t improve in the next 48 hours. We are here when you need us! ‍⚕️‍⚕️

Mikka