| SolveYourProblem
Article Series:
Get Rid of My Back Pain
Ice
Massage for Your Back Pain
Picture this; despite your best efforts you’ve
hurt your back. Maybe this is a chronic problem; you’ve hurt
it again but this time you need to find something to help get
you back into action quickly. Back injuries, and so pain, are
often caused by muscle strains. Lifting an object that is too
heavy or lifted wrong can cause strained muscles. They can
also occur during athlete competitions, a fall or simply a
sneeze that caused a sudden awkward movement. While it may
not be the first thing that comes to mind one alternative is
massage therapy with ice. This is considered one of the easiest,
safest and most successful methods that can be used in the
home.
One
of the reasons to try ice is that is has a completely different
affect than when you use heat. Ice not only helps
lessen the pain of a back injury but it also reduces the blood
flow. This helps to lessen the swelling and potentially minimize
any internal bruising. The goal of ice therapy is quite simply
to promote healing of the injured area. But, if you are going
to go this route the ice must be applied as soon as possible
once the pain begins.
There
are many different forms the ice may take. You can
pour a bunch of ice cubes into a towel and after folding it
so that they don’t fall out use that. Or you can use store
prepared cold packs. These are very useful land can be kept
in the freezer so they are available to use whenever you need
them. With these you want to be careful that they don’t split
and leak the gel inside them, as this can be harmful to the
skin. If you have neither of these options available to you,
use a package of frozen vegetables; the best would be corn
or peas, as the smaller vegetables will allow the package to
more easily mold to the area.
Another useful idea to make ice
massage easier is to take
a paper cup, made from heavier material like Styrofoam, fill
it with water and freeze it. Then you peel the Styrofoam back
enough to expose the ice and use it to massage the area. This
method is so straightforward that you if you suffer from recurring
back pain you can make sure you have a few in the freezer should
you ever have the need for them.
Ice
massage is usually performed over a brief period of time.
Some professionals suggest limiting it to five to seven minutes
while others allow from ten to twenty minutes. But all agree
that if the area becomes numb its time to stop. The area is
gently massaged with whatever from of ice pack you’ve chosen
in a circular motion. Make sure that areas where the bone is
nearer the skin are avoided. This includes the spine when dealing
solely with back pain, but would also take in the knees, elbows
and shoulders. At first the massaged area will begin to feel
cold. Don’t be surprised that when it starts to hurt. Then
it will turn a pinkish color before it becomes numb. Remember,
that’s when you should stop. After that repeat the ice massage
several times throughout the day but never before the area
has warmed and become room temperature again.
Ice massage is such a popular method of back pain treatment
that there are many specialized packs that you can buy. These
often come in leak proof containers, which can be thrown into
a gym bag, as they can remain frozen for eight to ten hours.
Some are even weighted to increase the feeling of pressure
during massage. These are easily available but often costly.
Although ice massage is a useful treatment for back pain or
back injuries certain precautions must still be taken. Do not
leave the cold pack directly on the skin. It should be wrapped
in a wet cloth even if the pack is in constant motion. Stop
the ice massage once the skin begins to feel numb. As well,
if the treatment does not begin to show significant results
after seventy-two hours, see your physician or other healthcare
provider. Click here to eliminate your back pain in just 7 days. This is the Gold Standard for back pain relief. If you have upper back pain, lower back pain, scoliosis, herniated discs, sciatica, arthritis of the spine or spinal stenosis - do yourself a favor and get it. It's my SolveYourProblem recommendation.
# # # # #
by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
> Home > Back
Pain Relief: Main Page
|