Have back pain? Use these two simple tips before rushing to the doctor

Sciatica is a condition of the spinal column where your herniated spinal disc presses against and irritates your lumbar spine root or the sciatic nerve root. This results in serious pain in your lower back and buttocks often radiating down one or both legs and sometimes all the way into your foot.

If you have this pain, there are simple methods you can try to relieve the pain before going to the doctor.

Use these two methods to help relieve back pain

#1: Use cold and hot packs

If the pain flare-up has happened recently, try a cold pack. Simply put ice cubes in a plastic bag and apply it to your hurting back.

Be sure to put a cloth or towel between your back and the plastic covered ice cubes. This’ll ensure you don’t damage your skin. Don’t keep the cold pack in place longer than fifteen-minute intervals.

“The colder your back gets, the less active the pain nerves will be and you might calm the pain for a time. You aren’t curing yourself, just making the pain go away for a while,” says the Sciatica Report.

A few days after the onset of the pain, you should switch to heat.

This can be dry heat, such as with a heating pad, or a damp heat with towels soaked in hot water and wrung out. Be sure to protect your skin from the direct heat with a towel. Don’t use the hot packs for longer than 20 minute intervals.

You can also alternate between the cold and hot packs. The hot packs will bring a flush of new blood into the area. The added blood brings with it white blood cells which can work to help reduce any inflammation and start to repair tissue damage.

#2: Rest your back

While rest is good if you have back pain, most doctors say too much bed rest can be bad for your back.

The key, as with most things, is moderation. If you took two days of rest after your pain flared up you probably don’t need to do it again.

You should however still take things easy until your pain subsides. The important idea here is not to go to work and don’t do any lifting or bending to the side. Avoid any activities that might strain your already hurting back.

Remember, if the pain doesn’t go away after trying these methods, go see your doctor so he can help you recover.