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The word chronic suggests persisting for a long time or constantly recurring. We all know that chronic back pain is a common condition due to underlying medical conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, spondylitis, spondylosis, obesity, debility or inflammation of muscles supporting back, etc. Besides the above mentioned medical conditions, it can also be a result of other factors such as wrong posture, injury to muscles and ligaments supporting
the back, lifting heavy weights, performing exercises incorrectly or adopting a faulty lifestyle and diet.
Here are some measures you can take to reduce the impact of chronic back pain.
1. Diet
Include fibrous food (whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, etc.) and omega-3 fatty acids containing food (flaxseed, walnut, olive, pumpkin seeds, mackerel, sardine, herring, salon, etc.) in your diet. Besides that, spices like ginger, turmeric, caraway seeds, and asafoetida / mustard are beneficial to combat chronic pain due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Boswellia or commonly known as shallaki is a commonly used herb for pain
modulation, making it a powerful ayurvedic medicine for joint pain.
Food exclusions are as important as inclusions, so avoid list for chronic back pain consists of refined carbs (bread, pasta, starchy food), high sugar diets, carbonated drinks, omega-6 fatty acids, trans and saturated fats (red meat, butter, full fat dairy products, lard, animal fat, sunflower oil, deep fried food)
2. Exercises
While forward or backward bending is usually contraindicated in back pain, some specific yoga postures help reduce chronic back pain while strengthening the back muscles. These include the cat-cow pose (marjarasana – bitilasana), hip-bridge pose (setubandhasana), supine spinal twist (supta – matsendriyasana), thread the needle pose (sucirandhrasana),child’s pose (balasana), malasana (garland pose) and wind relieving pose(pavanmuktasana). However, it is advised to seek professional help to learn the specific exercise and consult your doctor for which of these are best suitable for you according to your underlying medical condition.
3. Panchakarma and local application.
Various Panchakarma therapies are known to be effective to not only reduce the back pain but also reduce / reverse the pathology of disease. These include snehan (medicated oil massage), swedan (medicated steam), basti (medicated enema), katibasti (oil retention on back), Merudanda basti (oil retention on spine),pottali swedan (hot fomentation with bolus made of herbs). It is advised to seek guidance from your Ayurvedic Doctor for the therapy best suited for you.
Along with panchakarma, application of GO365 ointment helps to reduce back pain instantly. Its herbal ingredients like Capsicum oil, Camphor & Mint extract have anti-inflammatory properties; oils of Wintergreen & ucalyptus help reduce joint swelling & pain and Deodar Oil & Nirgundi reduce pain and stiffness thus making it the best back pain relief ointment
4. Medicinal treatment
Ayurvedic herbs like like Guggul, Nirgundi, Shallaki, Gokshur and Ginger are known to treat pain effectively. The right combination as part of treatment reduces the pain by treating the pathology, unlike painkillers that merely suppress the pain. Along with GO365 nutra which is a nutritional supplement and generic joint pain tablet, the Charak Pharma offers an array of ayurvedic medicines for joint pain to target specific diseases like Chropaxe Tablet for Chronic pain.
The right medicines along with effective back pain relief ointment would serve as right treatment for chronic back pain
5. Other lifestyle tips
a) Avoid long sitting hours – take 30-60 secs break by getting up from your position every 2 hours.
b) Make sure your chair and sitting position are right and not causing strain on your back.
c) Sleep Positions to reduce back pain – sleep on your side with a pillow between the knees for support OR sleep on your side in a foetal position by curling up your knees to your chest that opens your joints and where the spine doesn’t curve backward OR sleep on your back with a pillow placed below your knees for support OR sleep on your
stomach and place a pillow below your hips for support.
Do not take chronic back pain lightly. It is ideal to seek an expert’s opinion so that back pain is taken care of without compromising the quality of life.
