Battling the biggest pains on the planet!
SUFFERING from backache? You’re not alone. Back pain is the biggest cause of ill health in the world, bringing daily misery to millions and often robbing them of a good night’s sleep.
And neck ache is the runner-up in the troublesome health stakes in England and Scotland, according to a major international study published in The Lancet medical journal recently.
The NHS says that 80 per cent of people in Britain will bear the brunt of back pain at some point in their lives.
Caused by injury, accident, or simply years of poor posture and a desk-bound lifestyle, back pain can worsen if left untreated and make simple, everyday tasks agonising.
ADJUST YOUR POSTURE AT NIGHT
FROM anti-inflammatories to sessions with an osteopath, there are numerous ways to alleviate back pain.
These include using a mobility aid such as an adjustable bed or recliner chair to reduce the discomfort that it causes.
Research by primary care physicians recently found that seven out of ten doctors would recommend sitting in a reclined position to help relieve back pain.
When a person is reclined, their body is completely supported, which removes the strain that causes pain. So the back benefits from positional relief. And lying back like this can also ease pain problems such as neck and shoulder ache, arthritis and restless leg syndrome.
We spend a third of our lives in bed, so it is well worth looking at the level of postural support we are getting at night, to help reduce stiffness and pain. Sleeping in an adjustable bed will often offer very good positional relief. It will allow you to raise the head end of the
bed, to support your shoulders, back and the base of the spine. This is much better than piling up pillows, which can create an awkward sleeping position and cause neck stiffness.
And lifting your legs is often the key to soothing lower back pain. That’s because the best position for your back is with your legs elevated, your knees slightly bent and your back completely flat.
By using the contouring capabilities of your adjustable bed, you can realign the pressure on your vertebrae in this way, creating a pelvic tilt — and finding a more comfortable resting or sleeping position that relieves strain on your back.
REDUCE STRAIN ON THE STAIRS
ONE cause of lower back pain is arthritis of the spine. This can manifest as spinal stiffness in the morning, difficulty walking or bending, and lower back pain that may travel down as far as the thighs.
Lifestyle changes might help to reduce the pain. Losing weight can take stress off inflamed joints. And regular exercise helps to build bone and muscle strength.
You might even find that changing your usual shoes to more a comfortable, supportive style really helps.
Where back pain is making the stairs an obstacle, having a stairlift installed can remove strain and trepidation and restore freedom to move around the home.
If an occupational therapist (OT) has assessed your needs and recommends a stairlift, the first step is to find out how much it might cost to hire or buy.
This will involve a feasibility study by a stairlift company. Ask your OT to be present if possible, or to leave clear written instructions about which stairlift features are important for you — for example, whether you need one that is seated or standing and, if seated, whether it needs to be height-adjustable.
You could also look at the Disabled Living Foundation’s (DLF) Living Made Easy website for details of the various stairlift models available from national manufacturers and suppliers, many of whom are members of the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA).