MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE BACK PAIN
There are a number of simple things that you can do to give yourself
the best chance of making a quick recovery when you have acute back
pain:
- DO NOT bend or lift
- DO NOT drive yourself
- DO NOT sit for any longer than half an hour, get up and walk round and loosen off your back muscles
- DO sit with a supportive lumbar roll for short periods. You can make a lumbar roll by rolling a towel into a tubular shape and tying it with a piece of string. Place this in the small of your back and sit in an upright seat. This will help to reduce your pain
- DO rest in a comfortable position, e.g. lying on your back or on your front
- DO keep 'pottering around'. Research shows that prolonged bed rest for more than 48 hours leads to longer periods of back pain
- DO use heat, such as a covered hot water bottle or wheat bag to help relax the muscles in your back
- DO perform gentle exercises within pain limits to prevent stiffness
- DO use simple pain killers such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen which can be purchased from a pharmacy
Source: BSHS
NHS
Direct 0845 46 47 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
