What are some at-home treatments for back pain?

Treating your back pain at home can be as easy as practicing some special stretches, or using ice and heat to sooth sore, aching areas. Yael Varnado, MD, properly demonstrates a great stretch for your back.

Transcript

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I really like heat, especially with some aromatherapy, because it's just so relaxing to the area that is so stressed

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and has a lot of tension. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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All of us suffer from back pain by the end of the day. We are just at our wits end and probably are

00:21

feeling it in our lower back. So one of the great things that you can do to strengthen and also release some of the tension in your lower back is the cat-cow pose.

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I love this one because it's really easy to do. You don't need any equipment, and you can do it anywhere. You can even do it seated in a chair.

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I actually do it about three to four times a day. And sometimes I'm doing it on a chair versus, like, on all fours on a floor. So what you want to do is you want

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to suck in your belly button and bring it back to your spine and curl over your back like a C.

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And then you want to go ahead and arch your back, bring your shoulders back, push out your chest,

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and that stretches your back. Now the interesting thing is-- I want everybody to remember-- it's always important to stretch yourself in all the different directions

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that you actually have movement of a joint. So also want to turn to the side and hold it,

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and the other side. And you can even stretch your arms overhead, too. Most importantly, you want to do this.

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You want to hold the motion so that you can really get a great stretch. And make sure you drink a lot of water. So some other things that you can do besides just stretching

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at home for your lower back that might ache is to remember that if you find some relief with over-the-counter medicines, that you can take those

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as prescribed and as directed. But you can also ice and heat. I really like heat, especially with some aromatherapy,

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because it's just so relaxing to the area that is so stressed and has a lot of tension. Lay on your back with a nice, like, warm heat

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pack for about 15, 20 minutes, with your legs bent. It'll make all the world of difference in your lower back.