Call Now5 At-Home Remedies We Don’t Recommend for Back Pain
Suffering from back pain can be debilitating, and you might be considering asking someone to walk on your back for some relief. Before turning to this home remedy, you might want to ask yourself if this will solve your problem or cause more pain down the road.
Keep scrolling to learn five home remedies that our chiropractic team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills would NOT recommend alleviating your back pain.
Don’t Try These 5 Home Remedies for Back Pain
We know how bad back pain can get but think twice before you try one of these home remedies!
#1. Cracking
As we move throughout the day, normal movements cause our bones to stretch apart. When this happens, the space between the points where your mobile bones come together—the synovial joints—widens. Air bubbles form in the synovial fluid found within the joint cavity as these spaces widen. As a result, when you forcefully stretch your bones or “crack” them, the bubbles of air burst and release nitrogen and dioxide.
However, you aren’t actually “cracking” anything. You are simply popping the bubbles that have formed in your joints in areas like the neck vertebrae, fingers, and knees.
The issue with “cracking” your joints is that our joints aren’t meant to be repeatedly stretched in this way. When they are constantly stretched or cracked, they gradually lose their stability. This can lead to dislocated fingers, chronic back pain, and even sciatica.
Yes, that satisfying cracking sound could contribute to your back pain. Does it still seem worth it?
#2. Walking on Someone’s Back
Though used since ancient times in India and Japan, the back walking process can exacerbate your back pain.
The excess movement on your joints as someone walks on your back forces your muscles to work overtime to help keep them stable. Like attempting to crack your own back with a chair, your muscles will feel tighter than before, and you might think that you need someone to walk on your back again to crack it. This can become a cycle of pain because while attempting to alleviate back pain, your muscles become even tenser, leading to stress on your joints which is quite detrimental to your spine’s health.
#3. Cracking Your Back with a Chair
If you have been to the chiropractor, you know that they often crack your neck and back while they perform an alignment. They do this to alleviate pain caused by subluxations in the neck and spine.
Many individuals believe that they can get the same effect at home and try to crack their back using a chair. However, when you crack your back in this way, you are forcing your joints and vertebrae out of their normal range of mobility.
Please don’t try to crack your back with a chair. You just can’t crack all the bones in your spine the way a qualified chiropractor like ours at Impact Medical Zephyrhills can.
#4. Hanging Upside Down
Known as inversion therapy, hanging upside down has been used to stretch the back and relieve lower back pain since 3000 BC.
The idea is that by hanging upside down you are relieving the pressure on your spine due to the force of gravity pulling your vertebrae away from each other, taking pressure off your spinal discs.
What many people don’t realize is that while inversion therapy can provide temporary relief from chronic back pain, it can lead to serious injury if not done correctly. Plus, the increased blood pressure in your head can cause or exacerbate serious health complications. The last thing you want to do is end up in the E.R. because you were trying to crack your back by hanging upside down!
#5. Bear Hugs
Many people ask a friend to help them achieve that satisfying crack of their spine. With this method, the patient crosses their arms over their chest and their friend wraps their arms around them from behind and picks them up while hugging them firmly. Don’t do this.
Though you might hear a satisfying “crack, “this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are doing your back any good. A bear hug like this can cause compressed nerves, herniated disks, and in worst cases a stroke.
Work with a Professional Chiropractor
If you are suffering from chronic back pain, working with a trained chiropractor is the best way to minimize your risk of additional injuries or complications. We strongly recommend that you avoid relying on at-home back pain remedies and call our team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills instead!
Schedule a chiropractic consultation with our professionals at Impact Medical Zephyrhills today; (813) 706-5156!
