Most of us will have some form of back pain in our lives. Yes, it’s THAT common, even more so for us over 50 folks. The Cleveland Clinic reports that back pain is the second most common reason people visit their healthcare providers, only colds are more common. Back pain can be the result of a lot of different causes, like overuse or strain, lack of exercise or being overweight. Unfortunately, back pain can also result from more serious health issues, like arthritis, or even cancer. However, the vast majority of back pain is the result of stress or strain of a muscle.
Make no mistake, serious back pain is really not for amateurs, and you should see a medical professional if you have severe or lingering pain, weakness in the legs or shooting pain. With that in mind, there are some simple and easy ways to get rid of back pain naturally, or at least to ease it significantly. All of these techniques can help you prevent and ease back pain, and you can start using them right away.
Back Stretches
Again, if you have chronic back pain, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Now, assuming you have done that, one of the simplest and best exercises to ease back pain is to perform back stretches. Many of us over 50 folks have never ever stretched and overlooked the benefits we sort of knew we could expect. After all, yesterday we were naturally lithe or close to it. And therein, as they say, lies the rub.
Back stretches are one of the best methods to help rid your back of pain. Stretching joints and soft tissue can strengthen your back muscles, reduce stiffness, and loosen the spine. Here are a few really simple stretches you can start right now.
- Sphinx Pose. Known in some circles as the upward dog, this is an elementary yoga pose. Lie down on your stomach, with both arms at your side with palms down. Tighten your buttocks and legs, and then lift up your torso, while keeping the elbows positioned under the shoulders. Feel the stretch in your middle and lower back and hold for 10 seconds. (If you don’t feel a stretch, you’re doing it wrong) Then gently return go back down, returning to the original position. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
- Chair Stretch. Best done in a chair with four legs, but you can certainly modify. Sit in a chair with your back against the
seat back and with both feet flat on the ground. Grab a hold of the two back legs (or the seat back if there are no legs) and slowly bend over until you feel a stretch of your back. Gently increase and hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat 3 to 5 times. - Knee Rolls. Lie flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You can either place your hands behind your head or keep your arms at your side. Now roll your knees to the left as far as is comfortable, back to center, then to the right, and back to center. Try to perform 5 times per side for 3 to 5 reps.
Mindfulness meditation
Back pain can be related to high levels of stress, and who has more stress than boomers over 50? I mean just thinking about how many times we have to use the bathroom at night is enough to…uh, sorry. Mindful meditation can be very helpful in reducing stress levels because it can help us relax and notice our awareness of what the body is doing. Meditation has been shown to be effective in helping alleviate some back pain, especially in mature adults. A few minutes of meditation each day may help reduce pain and improve quality of life.
Meditation can be effective for several reasons. First, meditation focuses on deep breathing, which helps not only with relaxation and stress relief, but also strengthening of the torso. Second, some meditation techniques include the tightening and loosening of muscles, causing more intentional relaxation of muscles that you are focused on. Finally, meditation often involves guided imagery, that is, imagining the affected areas of the body and visualizing increased blood flow and healing. All of these factors contribute to the effectiveness of mindful meditation to ease back pain. You can find plenty of free guided meditations on YouTube. Check the ratings and reviews.
Cold and Heat
Cold and heat home therapy can be a very effective natural treatment for back pain. If you have suffered an acute back injury, go see your doctor first. Next, start with cold treatment–an ice pack or even a frozen bag of vegetables–for about 20 minutes. Make sure the cold source is wrapped in a towel to prevent ice burns. The cold will help lower the body temperature, slowing blood flow to the area and reducing inflammation and swelling. You have to reduce inflammation before using heat. Otherwise, heat can further inflame your back pain.
Once the inflammation is reduced you can use a heating pad on low to medium heat. This will help draw out soreness and increase blood flow to the soft tissue to help with healing. Low level heat can be used almost continuously to help with stiffness and tightness. Consider keeping a heating pad near your bed. There are also self-activating heat patches available over-the-counter for use throughout the day.
Anti-inflammatory foods
By now you are thinking, everything with these Better Life After 50 articles always comes back to diet. Guilty as charged. What we eat has a profound effect on our physical (and mental) health, and we know that inflammation is a big component of back pain. So a diet that reduces inflammation can help to reduce chronic back pain. First, here are some foods that are not very helpful, that you should consider moderating.
Highly processed foods, like margarine, lunch meat, granola bars, cheese slices, and microwave popcorn.
Full fat dairy, like whole milk and cream, butter, and milkshakes, and other dairy products.
Transfats, otherwise known as the good stuff, like fast food fried chicken, french fries, doughnuts, cakes, cookies…you get the idea.
Saturated fats, like red meat, lamb and pork. Butter makes the list here too.
Now, here are some foods rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients that are beneficial in combating chronic back pain.
Omega-3 fatty acids. We have all heard of the benefits of eating salmon, but here are some others you might be surprised to learn are also omega-3 rich–caviar, mackerel, raw oysters, flax seed oil, and chia seeds. 
Berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. You can throw cherries in too.
Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli (I prefer broccolini), kale, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. Even though avocados don’t fit in this category, they are highly beneficial in an anti-inflammatory diet, and great on sandwiches.
Vitamins and supplements
Whenever possible and practical, we certainly should seek to get vitamins from our food. However, there are certainly times when this is simply inconvenient or we just can’t stand the taste of food that is good for us. Here are some vitamins and supplements that can be an easy way to fight the inflammation that contributes to back pain. Be sure to follow instructions on the labels.
Vitamins B, specifically, B-1, B-6 and, B-12.
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Supplements, such as calcium, magnesium, ginger, and tumeric.
Conclusion
Back pain is common in many people, especially as we age, but there are plenty of simple life adjustments we can make to naturally reduce the discomfort and to prevent future chronic pain. We hope we have given you some easy steps for you to consider. We will update this page periodically as we discover new and relevant content. We welcome your thoughts and questions on this article and as always, please feel free to leave your comments below.