Your initial thought might be to reach for an ice pack when you experience pain in your body that is on the verge of being tolerable and truly intolerable.
For severe injuries, your only desire is to bury that pain somewhere you won’t have to experience it.
Should you do the same for back pain if you already do it? How should it be used? How well does it work? What are the causes and symptoms of backache? What complementary treatments are available for back pain?
In this article, we talk about back pain and how gel ice packs can work for it.
Back Pain
This condition affects almost half of the working population in variable degrees. Although it is uncommon, back pain might occasionally necessitate surgery.
Back pain can have several sensations, including discomfort, stabbing, acute pain, throbbing, and numbness. Additionally, it may make it difficult to stand up straight. The causes may affect this variation. What, then, are the reasons behind back pain?
Lumbago is another popular name for lower back discomfort. Problems with your nerves, muscles, ligaments, discs or even vertebrae may be the cause. It is frequently a sign of another illness rather than a separate sickness.
Structural Problems
Back pain can result from structural issues such as sciatica, arthritis, osteoporosis, ruptured discs, and bulging discs.
The origin of bulging and ruptured discs in sciatica is the same vertebra. The stacked bones that make up the spine are referred to as vertebrae. Each stack has discs, which are softer tissue regions. Back discomfort can result from a bulge, herniation, or rupture in any one of these discs.
Your nerves may be severely compressed by a ruptured or bulging disc, which may be painful. In a similar vein, sciatica can be caused by a bulging or herniated disc pressing on and irritating your sciatic nerve. Sciatica pain can spread to your legs, resulting in tingling and numbness.
Another structural issue that might result in back pain is arthritis. A degenerative condition called osteoarthritis causes the tissues that surround your bones to deteriorate. Hip and lower back issues might result from this ailment. Spinal stenosis, a disorder brought on by osteoarthritis, is a narrowing of the spinal column.
Osteoporosis, a disorder that reduces bone density and renders bones porous and brittle, still falls under this group. Small fractures in the vertebrae can result from this decrease in bone density. These fractures, also known as compression fractures, can be excruciatingly painful.
Strains
The muscles in your back can become strained if you lift heavy objects or move in ways that cause your back to twist. One of the most typical reasons for back discomfort is this. Strains, which are sometimes mistaken for sprains, entail issues with the tendons or muscles. Conversely, sprains involve rupturing of ligaments.
Strains can also be brought on by excessive work or persistent hyperactivity. For instance, a sprain may be to blame for the pain you experience after a strenuous day of athletic activity. In such cases, a posture brace can help you continue your daily activities without any pain.
Other Causes
Infection is one of the additional causes of back pain. When your back hurts, and you have a fever, you could have a spine infection. Back discomfort may be brought on by a kidney or bladder infection.
Back discomfort can also result from improper posture and bad habits. These behaviors include awkward bending, overstretching, carrying heavy objects regularly, remaining stationary for extended periods of time, hunching over desks, and carrying heavy objects frequently.
Back pain can potentially be a symptom of cauda equina syndrome. The group of nerves near the spinal cord’s tip is known as the cauda equina. Back and/or leg pain, urine retention, sexual dysfunction, etc., are some of its symptoms.
Back pain can be more likely to occur if you are pregnant, have a sedentary lifestyle, are older, have genetic traits to the condition, smoke, or are obese.
Prevention
- Exercise: Exercise can help you maintain a healthy body weight and build strength. Core-strengthening exercise can help strengthen your abdominal and back muscles, thereby reducing your chances of developing back pain.
- Posture improvement: Try to maintain a proper posture, whether sitting or standing. Bad posture greatly contributes to back pain, which can strain your posture. Always remind yourself to sit or stand up straight.
- Diet: Try to stick to a healthy diet with appropriate amounts of calcium.
- Lifting properly: When lifting heavy objects, remember to always lift with your legs rather than your back.
Treatment
- Medication: Over-the-counter painkillers may not be effective for back pain, so you may need to visit the doctor. Your doctor may prescribe narcotics, like codeine, and muscle relaxants.
However, if you are looking for a non-prescription alternative, Relief Factor, a natural joint supplement, can be a helpful option to consider. It is designed to provide relief against aches and pains, including back pain. It contains a blend of natural ingredients that target inflammation and support joint health, making it a potential solution for managing your discomfort.
- Cortisone injections: This anti-inflammatory drug can be injected around the spinal cord into the epidural space.
- Complementary therapies: These, as the name suggests, are often undergone alongside the main treatment plans. They include acupuncture and yoga.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): TENS is a common therapy for patients with severe back pain. This process involves a machine delivering small electric pulses into the body via electrodes placed on the skin. Note that it should not be used by a pregnant woman, someone with epilepsy, or someone with a history of heart disease.
- Surgery: Surgery is often used as a last resort, usually in the case of a herniated disk.
- Homemade remedies: This is usually the first option for back pain. It is so because most back pains are usually not severe and can be easily treated with an ice pack. Apart from ice packs, another common home treatment for back pain is an over-the-counter medication. However, before you take any medication that could have a negative effect on you, make sure to check drug prescribing guidelines to see what dosage you should take, which drug combinations you should avoid in case you take other medication, what side effects you may experience, and so on. In this article, however, we will be focusing on how ice packs can help relieve back pain.
Reusable Ice Packs
Cryotherapy is a type of therapy that includes the application of ice packs for medical treatment and pain reduction. Reusable ice packs have a reputation for minimizing pain, inflammation, and edema in practically any area of the body. The tissues under the skin are cooled by ice packs to work. This decreases nerve conduction, slows local tissue metabolism, and tightens blood vessels, all of which have analgesic effects and lessen pain.
There are many different kinds of ice packs, including reusable, multipurpose gel ice packs. The immediate cold pack is another type that is best suited for emergencies but has limited adaptability and cannot be reused.
Similar to the gel, the clay ice pack takes longer to freeze. Use frozen clothes, sponges, or peas as well for your own ice pack.
How to Apply a Reusable Ice Pack for Back Pain?
Acute back injuries and pain from some of the aforementioned disorders can both benefit from ice therapy. Your back pain can be relieved, and you can chill down comfortably with the use of an ice pack.
Every hour to two hours, ice your back for around fifteen to twenty minutes. This enables you to refreeze your ice pack if necessary and allows your skin to cool down. If you want a new ice pack to be effective, it should be cooled in the freezer or refrigerator for around six hours before usage.
The ice pack can be wrapped in a towel and placed on your back. Additionally, you can use tape to secure the bag on your back. Always try to combine rest and ice.
Before applying the ice pack to your skin, wrap it in a fresh, dry towel or a warm, moist one. A warm towel offers greater benefits since it allows your skin to become progressively accustomed to the low temperature rather than being exposed to it all at once. Avoid touching your skin directly with ice since it can lead to frostbite and cause water to run down your back more quickly than you anticipated.
Ice packs may cause damage that won’t be immediately apparent in those with diseases like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and rheumatoid factor. People with these diseases should check with their doctors to see if using ice packs is appropriate.
Applying ice packs for more than 20 minutes at a time is not advised because it could be harmful.
Alternating between ice and heat packs is part of a combined therapy that some medical professionals advise. This enables the advantages of heat therapy without the issue of swelling being worsened by the ice pack. You must use the heat pack at the start and finish of this technique. Additionally, provide sufficient time between each application. For this combination therapy, having more than one of each pack is crucial.
Hampton Adams Reusable Ice Pack
The reusable gel ice pack from Hampton Adams is ideal for ice therapy. It is cozy, adaptable, and economical, and it maintains its softness after freezing. Get your reusable ice pack by visiting Hampton Adams.
