Back pains are a condition that affects millions of people each year as well as costing many lost hours and days from work. In addition, millions of dollars are being spent every day on medical care and treatment for back pain sufferers as well as health care costs. With the rising costs of health care each year, more people are choosing self-treatment for back pain in their lives. This is especially the case for people that have recurring back pains and can’t afford repeated doctor visits.

Doctors will usually discourage self treatment for back pain because the pain may be the start of a serious condition in the back. There are many cases where back pain starts as a simple “back ache”, but because it is not properly treated in its early stages, it turns to more serious chronic back pains, which take time and money to cure. Self-treatment for back pain is the solution, however, to individuals that know why their back is bothering them because it happens often enough when they are participating in a specific activity.

It is important at the onset of back pain to get rest to see if that makes a difference. If your back pain is localized like upper back or lower back, doctors would recommend ice to prevent swelling. Ice should be put on the back for 5 to 15 minutes every few hours for the first day or two. There are many good over-the-counter medications to help with the pain in the early stages as well as anti-inflammatory drugs. In any cases of back pain, these are always the first steps that should be taken for self-treatment of back pain. Unless you have visible damage to your back requiring surgery, these are the steps a doctor will you take for relief of your back pain.

After the first few days, if the pain is still present, heat is often helpful such as a heating pad, hot water bottle or a warm bath. Many people find soaking in a hot oil bath with Essential oils to be very relaxing on the back. This is very helpful as self-treatment of back pain.

Although rest is important for back pain in the first day, medical research has shown that complete bed rest will often make the pain worse and last longer. After the first couple of days, it’s important to try to get back to your normal routine as quickly as possible. Self-treatment of back pain involves exercise to keep the back muscles strong to avoid more injury.

There are also many supplements that are very good for relieving back pain as well as helping to keep your back muscles strong. Some of these supplements are Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, magnesium, fish oil supplements and many more can be found in a health store.

Be advised that if your back pain doesn’t get better in a certain amount of time with the use of self-treatment of back pain, you should see a doctor.